Vallas offered big severance June 12, 2001 BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND ROSALIND ROSSI STAFF REPORTERS Chicago Schools CEO Paul Vallas could walk away from his $174,000-a-year job with at least a year's salary, plus unused sick and vacation time, thanks to a severance deal that could pay the bills if he runs for governor. Unused vacation and sick time could easily run to more than $50,000. In his six years of service, Vallas estimated he took only 15 days of vacation and 5 sick days. He could be owed more than an additional 100 days. "We certainly want to make sure he's appropriately compensated for the service that he's given and that it's enough money to allow him to make a smooth transition" to whatever he decides to do, said board vice chair Avis LaVelle, Mayor Daley's former press secretary. Replacing Vallas, who resigned last week after months of pressure from Daley, may be tough enough. Not offering a severance package could further discourage potential candidates from taking his place. Even though Vallas rolled the dice when he agreed to take a job without a contract, a board member said, "It doesn't matter. There's moral fairness involved." Vallas' immediate predecessor, Supt. Argie Johnson, was bought out of the last 15 months of her contract, but also enjoyed the benefits of an annuity, which Vallas does not. In addition, she made $175,000 a year from the start, while Vallas only got a raise to that amount this spring. The severance deal is being negotiated by Steven Nemerovsky, an attorney for Vallas, and Marilyn Johnson, general counsel for the Board of Education. Neither could be reached for comment. The final package must be approved by the board. Vallas confirmed Monday that the board has offered him a package that includes one year in severance pay, plus unused vacation and sick days. "I thought, given the fact that I was operating without a contract, that I'd be offered some sort of severance package. The board offered one and I thought it was reasonable," Vallas said. Throughout his six years as schools CEO, Vallas has carefully nurtured his image as a tight-fisted manager who spurns the perks of the job in favor of a self-declared "Ralph Nader" lifestyle. One of his first acts was to eliminate the free lunches and platters of morning pastry that once greeted top staff members. At Vallas' request, the pay of the schools CEO was frozen at $150,000 for six years, leaving the top official of Illinois' largest school system ranked No. 80 on the list of school officials around the state. In March, after Vallas decided not to run for governor, the board tried to reward him with a 20 percent pay raise to $180,000 a year. Vallas would only accept 16 percent, saying he wanted not a penny more than the percent awarded to rank-and-file teachers since 1995. In an unusual move, board members made the raise retroactive to July 2000. That gave the schools CEO an extra $48,000. More than a one-year salary would let Vallas run for governor without worrying about how to pay his bills during the campaign. Asked Monday if he would rule out a gubernatorial bid, Vallas said, "I'm not thinking about it. I'm not planning on it, but I'm certainly keeping my options open." -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
