Modesto City Schools board members are set to modify the fourth and final year of Superintendent Arturo Flores' contract at Monday's meeting. There has been no official indication if it will be extended past June 30, 2011.
"It's a confidential discussion," Flores said Saturday. "I can't elaborate on that. I'm not privy to discussions of the board. Typically they let me know what they want from me."
The contract of a superintendent is typically extended one year before the contract expires, said Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools Tom Changnon, speaking about boards in general. Retirement or an unsatisfactory rating would be the exceptions.
"The tradition is, when (school boards) do the evaluation of a superintendent they will have more or less a ne- gotiation period. Then they make a recommendation," Changnon explained. "Generally, if a contract isn't extended, that superintendent needs to find other employment."
Asked about the possibility of retirement, Flores, 60, said, "I have to evaluate that. I still have a lot to offer as an educator."
Reached on Saturday, school board members declined to speak about the ongoing negotiations with Flores, but they praised some of the educational programs he's implemented.
Board member Gary Lopez said Saturday, "Over the last three years he's really helped us focus on the education of our students." He said Flores' programs had begun "getting schools turned around."
Board member Nancy Cline said Flores "has brought some innovative programs" to the district, particularly for English-language learners.
At Monday's board meeting, one-year contracts for Flores and Deputy Superintendent Chris Flesuras, both with 3 percent salary reductions plus five furlough days, are on the consent agenda.
Upper management and the school board all agreed to take a pay cut to "share the pain" of employees, as Lopez pointed out at the last board meeting. Individual contracts all had to be reworked.
Flores will take a $6,520 cut in pay from the $217,344 he received for the fiscal year just ended. In addition, he will take a 40 percent reduction to his $650 monthly car allowance, a $3,120 cut for the year.
The consent item notes Flores' year-end evaluation was conducted in a closed session at the last board meeting June 21. It is on the closed session agenda again for Monday, as it was June 1, May 10 and at a single-item, four-hour special session May 20.
The board could announce an extension of Flores' contract Monday or any time during the year. According to Flores' contract, the board could end his employment any time but would have to pay his remaining salary.
Flores came to Modesto in 2007 after a lengthy administrative career in Sacramento. He began his educational career in Atwater and Livingston, teaching the children of farmworkers. He replaced Jim Enochs, who had led the Modesto district for 21 years.
Flores took over a Modesto district on state watch lists for poor test scores. In his first month he began work on a five-year strategic plan. He took a strong stand to address a deep achievement gap for minority students, saying his goal was to make Modesto schools "the beacon" for the Central Valley.
But his administration has struggled to get a handle on academic shortcomings, internal rifts and declining revenues.
The district faced a $25 million budget gap this year, which it closed by cutting salaries, laying off teachers and staff, and trimming popular programs.
The Stanislaus County civil grand jury investigated district administrative decisions and work practices, but said in a report in April it found no evidence of "actionable wrongdoing." The review followed the fractious exit of financial officer Debbe Bailey in 2009 and a rebuke of board member Cindy Marks during last fall's re-election campaign.
Flores also has pushed ahead with the construction of Gregori High School in Salida at a cost of more than $140 million despite the tough economic climate and declining enrollment.
All these issues have sparked speculation about Flores' future with the district.
Changnon said when a superintendent's contract is not extended, typically an interim superintendent will take over for the following year while the district searches for a successor.
"They generally appoint someone to take that place, so they're not scrambling in a haphazard way to find someone," Changnon said. He added such an appointment could be in-house, or from the ranks of retired superintendents or consultants.
No matter what happens, Flores said the year ahead will be a busy one for the district. He said it needs to keep its "eye on the target" of getting schools off the program improvement list, particularly the high schools.
"There's definitely a lot to do," he said. "In the full year I have remaining we need to follow what's outlined in the Strategic Plan's goals and objectives."
Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at naustin@modbee.com or 578-2339.
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