Ann Arbor Public Schools board President Deb Mexicotte is optimistic that trustees will be able to officially welcome the district's new superintendent Wednesday.
Deb Mexicotte
"I am hopeful that I'll have a draft contract for the board to potentially approve on Aug. 14 — something that we've agreed to in principal but that they (the trustees) can make sure they are happy with, too," she said.
Jeanice Kerr Swift
The Ann Arbor Board of Education voted 4-3 July 31 to offer the superintendency to Swift, who is currently the assistant superintendent of instruction, curriculum and student services for Colorado Springs School District 11 and was one of the board's two finalists.
She enthusiastically accepted the job that same night. The offering is contingent upon reaching a contract agreement.
Former district Superintendent Patricia Green resigned effective July 9 after two years with AAPS. The board first voted unanimously on July 19 to hire New Jersey Superintendent Brian Osborne. However, after contemplating the position for more than a week, Osborne turned it down.
Because the district has had high superintendent turnover in the past decade, school board members have expressed an interest in building into the contract some sort of longevity incentive that would reward Swift for her years of service to AAPS.
Mexicotte said Friday she could not speak about the specifics of what is being discussed. However, she stated in a previous interview that she went to the bargaining table with the board's guidelines and desires in mind.
In April, the board voted to set the salary scale for its next superintendent at $180,000 to $220,000. The trustees knowingly established a range that was $25,000 to $65,000 less than outgoing Superintendent Green's salary.
Many in the community, and a few trustees on the board as well, thought Green's salary was exorbitant and criticized both her and the board for her earnings. Trustee Andy Thomas has stated publicly on multiple occasions that he believes Green was never able to escape the outrage that the community felt about her salary and that fact contributed to her early departure.
A statewide superintendent database revealed this spring that Green had the highest base salary in Michigan last year by about $31,000.
Mexicotte said she and Swift have not agreed to a firm start date for her yet. However, Mexicotte said they do expect Swift to be in town on opening day for teachers, which is Aug. 27, to speak with and meet the staff.
Mexicotte said Swift does have some things she needs to wrap up in her current district, so a date for Swift to be in town continuously has not yet been confirmed. Although in an interview last week with AnnArbor.com, Swift said she believes it is important for her to be in the district by the time students arrive for the first day of school Sept. 3.
Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.