Danville District 118 Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis has been working without a contract since July 1st, and school board members are divided about whether to accept her offer on a new one.
Geddis, who has been the superintendent since July 2015, is currently on a one-year, automatic extension of last year’s base salary of $209,842, since a new contract was not approved. She has offered the school board a four-year contract proposal in which she would receive a four-percent base salary increase to $218,236, which school board member Shannon Schroeder told Vermilion County First News is the same increase that the district’s teachers receive, adding that Geddis is the only district employee who did not receive a pay increase for this school year. Her last new contract was approved in 2017.
The contract negotiations were closed until November 18th, when board president Bill Dobbles stated his opinion regarding Geddis’ offer on a new contract during a school board meeting, which led to a strong push back from community members who support her.
Dobbles stated at the November meeting that Geddis’ offer, if approved, would possibly be the highest salary the district has ever paid to a superintendent, including Dr. David Fields and her immediate predecessor, Mark Denman. He said at the meeting that he doesn’t think the community can afford a higher salary, adding that “With her experience, background and state connections, she could probably make $300,000 plus in a district north of I-80.”
Schroeder said she was surprised by Dobbles’ comments at the November meeting, and she said several community members expressed similar sentiments. She says the consensus that she has heard is that Dobbles’ comments were an “attempt to shock” the public, when the negotiations were supposed to be done behind closed doors as they normally would be. Board Vice President Dr. Randal Ashton said Dobbles had stated his opinion before to board members, but had not indicated that he would be making a public statement about the matter.
“Mr. Dobbles’ comments made it sound like he was trying to push her out of the district,” Schroeder said.
Geddis’ latest offer accounts for a total compensation package of $271,085, Schroeder said. The proposal includes an $8,393 salary increase from her present one, $13,812 for unused vacation days, a $10,000 annuity, plus Teacher’s Retirement System benefits.
Schroeder also said that Geddis’ current salary is in the middle among other superintendents of districts of similar size around the region. She also said that Geddis has not been evaluated by the school board, but Dobbles said Thursday that she had one done last year.
Dobbles told our newsroom that that it is hard to compare Geddis’ contract to other superintendents, since some of the other districts don’t have the same extra benefits included beyond the base salary.
Geddis’ new contract offer could be included on the agenda for the next board meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16th. Dobbles said it would be a “matter of transparency” and would be on there if the board is ready to make a decision.
Both Ashton and Schroeder said that some people have indicated that the negotiations had been put off for too long . Ashton says he is taking a neutral approach on the matter, but Schroeder pointed to Geddis’ accomplishments, including the food-security program and accolades that she has received.
When Geddis’ new contract is approved, Dobbles said it would be retroactive to July 1.
