Barbara P. Canavan signed a contract with the Board of Education Tuesday making her the next superintendent of Harford County Public Schools. Canavan’s four-year contract begins July 1, 2014, with a first-year base salary of $192,500.
The former principal of Southampton Middle School and current interim superintendent alternately joked and held back tears as she thanked the Board and school employees gathered for the occasion.
Picking up her signing pen, Canavan quipped, “I said I’d never get married again,” prompting laughter followed by a standing ovation as she made it official. More seriously, Canavan thanked those in attendance and the people she had met in her 40 years with HCPS: “I truly am here because of you.” She said she aspired to lead with “passion, civility, grace and dignity.”
While serving as interim superintendent, Canavan never publicly expressed her interest in the permanent job until the board revealed its choice at a business meeting held Monday evening. Following a unanimous vote in favor of Canavan’s appointment, each Board member offered comments in turn, excerpted below:
Tom Fitzpatrick: “We all know a leader when we see one.”
Jim Thornton: “She is the right choice.”
Joe Hau: “I received near-unanimous input that we had the right person in this position.”
Alysson Krchnavy: “This woman gets it.”
Student Representative Benjamin Barsam: “There’s something special about Mrs. Canavan.”
Arthur Kaff: “Having an extremely impressive record as an educator, with your tremendous and highly effective advocacy for education, I think you’ll manage the school system very well.”
Bob Frisch: “I’m hopeful…that we have a long term relationship and stability that leads to success for the school system.”
Cassandra Beverley: “You are a very competent, very committed individual who enjoys the trust and the confidence of your colleagues. We heard from many, many of those colleagues as they urged us to appoint you as the superintendent…We really wanted to get it right…I strongly believe that we got it right.”
Board Vice-President Rick Grambo: “It’s a great fit.”
Board President Nancy Reynolds: “I think the students, the staff and the community are all winners…This is one tough job but she’s up to it. All you have to do is look at her past record.”
Board comments were followed by expressions of support from the Harford Business Roundtable for Education, and the unions representing principals and teachers, respectively.
Canavan rounded out the evening with thanks to Board, and an emotional “confession.”
“I am an average person, asked to do a superhuman job,” she said. “And I am very confident that I am going to succeed because of everybody in this room and everybody that couldn’t make it tonight; whether it’s a school based administrator, a parent, a custodian, or a lady in the cafeteria that works for three hours. Together, we can do this.”
Contract
Canavan’s $192,500 base salary for next school year is in the middle of the range for all Maryland public schools in 2012-2013*. Compared to her predecessor, Robert M. Tomback, Canavan’s first year base is $2,500 more than Tomback’s base five years ago.
(*Published salary comparisons may include longevity pay in some districts.)
Like Tomback, Canavan will get the same annual cost of living adjustments and longevity pay applicable to other supervisory/administrative employees in HCPS. Below is a comparison of other key provisions in their respective contracts:
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Canavan Contract by daggerpress
I want to rock and roll all night
They made an excellent choice.
It was about time! Now it’s time to let the games begin.
I am proud to call Barbara Canavan one of my professional colleagues. A bright, competent woman of integrity who always advocates for the children/students, knowing and understanding the crucial role of education in the 21st century classroom. She will serve us well: her teachers, parents, & community. May we all now support her endeavors to make HCPS one of the best.
We are all hopeful that Ms. Canavan will do great things for the school system and quickly correct the many onerous decisions made by the previous superintendent. But no matter how much we want her to succeed and how hard she may try without adequate funding we will continue to see a deterioration of the school system.
“Canavan’s $192,500 base salary for next school year is in the middle of the range for all Maryland public schools in 2012-2013.”
To bad the teachers that work for her do not have that same luxury of being in the “middle range” of salary in Maryland public schools. It must be nice to get respect form the community Mrs. Canavan. Teachers wouldn’t know what that feels like.
Truth is here base salary is really $197500. She’s getting 5K in tax free retirement funds aside from the normal retirement package, plus $1000/month for her car. Seriously $1000 for a car? I expect she will do school visits; certainly but $1000/month for tolls? What tolls? Then there’s the payments for “unused sick leave”. Do we really need to incent someone at that level to show up for work – if so, how very sad. Regardless she’s to be congratulated – good luck.
It’s easier for an employer to give a flat rate monthly vehicle stipend than to track mileage, gas bills, lease terms, insurance costs, repairs, etc, especially if you trust the employee to not be an idiot and they do not need a customized job-specific vehicle.
Most likely, it will break down to around $500/mo lease, $200/mo gas, $50/mo tolls and $250/mo maintenance, but it is all on Canavan to administer it. That also lets her pick the vehicle, avoiding any outrage if she wants a convertible, Japanese/European luxury, a 4×4, or if she’s willing to keep using her current vehicle and accept the increased wear and tear on it (and thus the hastened need for a replacement).
Unless this lady is leasing a Limcoln no way that costs 500, ex pass rates have gone up but there are no toll points inside Harford and I can’t imagine why somebody supporting schools here would need a daily trip to Annapolis. 3000 annually for maintenance of a new leased vehicle? You have lost your mind.
Just change lease to monthly car payment on a purchase then that figure is not out of line. If she keeps her current car and the transmission goes up (or some other major component) repair/replacement costs would easily eat up a big chunk of the stipend. If she has an accident her insurance company is responsible and the school system has no liability. My last trip to Annapolis (a 110+ mile round trip) cost $8 tolls, $15 parking, and roughly $21 in gas. While trips to Annapolis are not every week they are not uncommon, plus there are frequent trips into Baltimore on school related business. On the surface the number may appear high (and if frugal or lucky maybe Ms Canavan will pocket a little extra change) but I would much rather she spend her time focusing on how to improve the school system than wasting valuable time worrying about maintaining a spread sheet of travel expenses and keeping all the receipts in order. There is plenty for her to do in trying to clean up some of the mess left behind by the last superintendent. Lets try to keep this in perspective.
You can drive a leased vehicle and cover all costs for half that. This is just a back door way of providing additional salary. I worked with fleet services for a Fortune 500 sales team – those that are actually expected to be traveling daily as a responsibility. I would hate for someone in public life to have to document their costs like everyone in the private sector already does. It’s just so much distraction to save receipts. Really?
Why is she not evaluated on student performance? Why isnt her pay based on that?
Dagger what the heck has happened to you?
You are a hot mess.