CONTRACT BETWEEN THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT

It is hereby agreed by and between the Board of Education of Ledyard, Connecticut (hereinafter called the "Board") and Dr. Michael Graner (hereinafter called the "Superintendent") that the said Board in accordance with the election held pursuant to 10-157 of the Connecticut General Statutes, on the first day of July 2012 has and does hereby employ the said Dr. Graner as Superintendent of Schools of Ledyard and that Dr. Graner hereby accepts employment as Superintendent of Schools of Ledyard upon terms and conditions hereinafter set forth. 1. DUTIES

The Superintendent is the chief executive officer of the Board. In harmony with policies of the Board, State Laws, and State Board of Education Regulations, the Superintendent has executive authority over the school system and the responsibility for its supervision. He has the general authority to act at his discretion, subject to later approval by the Board, upon all emergency matters and those as to which his powers and duties are not expressly limited or are not particularly set forth. He advises the Board on policies and plans that the Board takes under consideration, and he takes the initiative in presenting to the Board policy and planning issues for the Board's attention. The Superintendent or his designee as approved by the Board shall attend all meetings of the Board and shall participate in all Board deliberations, except when matters relating to his own employment and Board self-evaluation are under consideration or as requested by the Board. The Superintendent shall receive notice of all Board committee meetings and he or his designee will normally attend such meetings as requested by the Board. The Superintendent shall receive a summary of all committee meetings he or his designee does not attend. 2. OUTSIDE PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Superintendent may undertake occasional speaking engagements, writing, lecturing, or other professional duties and obligations provided such activities do not interfere with the meeting of his responsibilities as Superintendent. The Superintendent may also perform consultative work if the Board is notified in advance of such work. The Board retains the right to reject such consultative work if it feels the work would require an undue commitment on the part of the Superintendent. 3. TERM

The term of employment under this Agreement is July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015. The Superintendent and the Board agree they shall adhere to the following procedures to extend the Superintendent's employment under this contract for an additional period of time: Prior to June 30 of each year of this agreement, the Board may vote for a new agreement. At no time, however, shall the Superintendent be under contract or contracts to the Board for a period

greater than three (3) years. Anything in this paragraph to the contrary notwithstanding, the provisions of Section 8 shall take precedence and the Superintendent's employment may be terminated under the provisions of said Section. 4. COMPENSATION

The total base salary for the Superintendent for the 2012-2013 school year shall be $155,522 plus an elective contribution on the Superintendents behalf to the tax sheltered annuity (403(b)) of his choice in the amount of $19,375. The base salary will also include an elective contribution on the Superintendents behalf to the districts 457 Plan in the amount of $2,159. The compensation for the 2012-13 school year shall be the same as 2011-12; no increase in compensation will be paid. The total base salary shall be subject to required deductions for the State Teachers Retirement Fund, Connecticut and United States withholding taxes and other deductions required by law or requested by the employee in writing. Each year during which this contract is in effect, the Board and Superintendent shall meet at least ninety (90) days prior to June 30th for purposes of negotiating the Superintendent's salary for the subsequent school year. Any adjustment in salary made during the life of this contract shall be in the form of an amendment and shall become part of this contract. It is provided, however, that by so doing, it shall not be considered that the Board has entered into a new contract with the Superintendent or that the termination date of the existing contract has been extended. Compensation for Superintendent services for any period that employment is renewed under the provisions for Section 3 shall be negotiated and agreed to by the Board and the Superintendent prior to the commencement of the new contract term. 5. FRINGE BENEFITS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

The work year is twelve months with thirty (30) work days vacation. The Superintendent shall be permitted to annually carry over up to forty (40) days of accumulated vacation time from the total of his unused vacation days. At no time, however, shall the Superintendent be allowed to accrue more than seventy (70) vacation days unless otherwise approved by the Board. Holidays (including the Friday after Thanksgiving, the 4th of July and Labor Day) and workdays shall be in accordance with the school district calendar. Insurances--Medical, Life, Disability Insurances Provided by the Board:

A. The designated Connecticut Blue Cross/Blue Shield Century Preferred Plan for the Superintendent B. Full pay dental with dental riders A, B, C C. Life insurance on the life of the employee in the amount of $400,000. D. Long-term disability insurance at 60% of annual salary. E. Remuneration in the amount of 50% of the premium saved by the Board if the Superintendent elects to waive all health insurance benefits. The Superintendent choosing this option shall be able to change his option on July 1, for any reason, and/or at one other time during each year, if there has been a significant change in the Superintendents circumstances, such as divorce, death of a spouse, etc., which warrants such change in option. Such request for change must be presented, in writing, to the Board of Education at least sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the month in which the change is to take effect. Upon receipt of the revocation of waiver, coverage by the insurer shall be subject to any regulations, including waiting periods, which may then be in effect. Waivers under this section are subject to the approval of the applicable insurance carrier. The Board may change carriers for any of the above insurance provided that the coverage and benefits are substantially equal to those currently offered, and that no such change shall result in any lapse of benefits. At least sixty (60) days prior to changing of carrier, the Board or its designee shall notify the Superintendent and the parties will meet to discuss the proposed change.

Other benefits provided: A. Seventeen days (17) sick leave with full pay annually, such leave to accumulate from year to year to a maximum of 200 days. In case of catastrophic illness, additional sick leave may be requested of the Board. Upon retirement or resignation from employment with the Board, a payment of 20 days of accrued sick leave will be made to the Superintendent of Schools. Board payment of the annual dues for membership of Dr. Graner in the following organizations: American Association of School Administrators (AASA); Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). A yearly stipend in the amount of $2,500 for holding a doctorate. The Superintendent shall be entitled each year to five (5) personal days. The
Board of Education has approved three additional personal days (total of 8) to be used during the 2012-13 school year.

B.

C. D.

E.

Upon leaving the Ledyard Public School system other than for full-time employment with another school district and after at least ten years continuous full-time employment in Ledyard, the employee may have the option of being

F.

G. H.

retained by the Boards approved insurance carrier, at no expense to the Board. Upon retirement, Dr. Graner and his spouse shall be eligible to participate in the Boards health insurance program, excluding dental coverage, until age 65 at no expense to the Board. The Board will contribute a total of $2,800 towards a long-term health care insurance policy for Dr. Graner and his spouse. The Board will establish a trust agreement of $5,000 per year through the law firm of Siegel, OConnor payable in June 2015. If the Superintendent is not in the employ of the Ledyard Board of Education at that date, the funds will be returned to the Board of Education.

6.

EVALUATION

The Board, in Executive Session, shall evaluate the Superintendent within ninety (90) days, but not less than sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of each year during the term of this contract. The Board shall develop the evaluation format. The evaluation format shall be reasonably objective and shall cover at least the following areas: Board-Superintendent relations, community relations, personnel relations, evaluations of staff, educational program, business matters, leadership and personal qualities. In the event that the Board determines under the evaluation format that the performance of the Superintendent is deficient in any respect, it shall describe in writing in reasonable detail indicating specific instances, where appropriate, of said deficient performance. The evaluation shall include recommendations as to areas of improvement in all instances where the Board deems performance to be deficient, and all other instances where the Board deems such to be necessary or appropriate. A copy of the written evaluation shall be delivered to the Superintendent within thirty (30) days of its completion, and the Superintendent shall have the right to make a written reaction or response to the evaluation which shall become a permanent attachment to the Superintendent's personnel file. Within thirty (30) days of delivery of the written evaluation to the Superintendent, the Board, in Executive Session, shall meet with the Superintendent to discuss the evaluation. At the last Board meeting to be held prior to the evaluation period specified above, the Superintendent shall inform the Board of this contract clause.

7. A. B.

TERMINATION The parties may, by mutual consent, terminate the contract at any time. The Superintendent shall be entitled to terminate the contract upon written notice of ninety (90) days, except that the ninety (90) day notice is not required if termination is part of an

C.

action to implement a new Ledyard contract, in which case, verbal notice by the Superintendent, duly witnessed and recorded in the minutes, is acceptable. The Board may terminate the contract of employment during its term for cause under one or more of the following reasons: 1. Inefficiency or incompetence, 2. Insubordination against reasonable rules of the Board, 3. Moral misconduct, 4. Disability as shown by competent medical evidence, 5. Other due and sufficient cause.

In the event the Board seeks to terminate the contract for one of the above reasons, it shall notify Dr. Graner in writing of the reasons therefor. Within fifteen (15) days after receipt from the Board of written notice that contract termination is being sought, Dr. Graner may file with the Board a written request for a hearing before the Board, which will be held within twenty (20) days of receipt of such request. The Board shall render its decision within fifteen (15) days of such hearing and shall send a copy of its decision, setting forth the reasons and the evidence relied on, to Dr. Graner. The Boards decision shall be based on the evidence presented at the hearing. Such hearing may be in public session at the option of the Board or the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall have the right to his own counsel at his own expense. Any time limits established herein may be waived by mutual written agreement of the parties. 8. GENERAL PROVISIONS

A.
B.

If any part of the agreement is invalid, it shall not affect the remainder of said agreement, but said remainder shall be binding and effective against all parties.
This contract contains the entire agreement between the parties. It may not be amended orally, but may be amended only by an agreement in writing signed by both parties. Commencing upon signing, it supersedes all prior agreement between the parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this contract the day and year aforesaid.

SIGNED: ___________________________ Michael H. Graner Superintendent of Schools ___________________________ Witness ________________________________ Sharon Hightower, Chair Ledyard Board of Education ________________________________ Date

Approved by Board of Education on June 20, 2012