Rockville Rape: Montgomery County School Superintendent Paid $275,000 Per Year
Montgomery County School Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith, under fire for his delayed response to the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl at Rockville High School last week, rakes in a taxpayer funded salary of $275,000, months of paid time off and a whole goody bag full of other pricey benefits.
According to Smith’s contract, he receives the following:
-$275,000 salary per year, with a review each year for an increase and pay cannot be reduced
-$40,000 per year paid by the board for his retirement fund
-25 days of annual paid leave which can be rolled over and cashed out
-20 days of sick and/or personal leave per year, which can also be cashed out
-Disability insurance up to $8000 paid by the board
-All school holidays off
-A vehicle for personal and professional use with all “expenses for gasoline, insurance, maintenance, and repairs, in connection with the use of said vehicle” paid for by the school board
Further, Smith was paid as much as $12,000 to relocate to Montgomery County. He abruptly resigned from a previous position as superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools in 2014 when questions about his inflated paycheck and secret contracts were raised by new board members.
From a March 2014 Southern Maryland Newspapers Online article:
Before Smith’s departure, newcomers to the board Joe Chenelly and Kelly McConkey began asking questions regarding Smith’s compensation and did not like what they found.
When Chenelly and McConkey asked Smith directly how much he made, “that became a point of contention, and he said you can look at the contract and figure it out for yourself,” Chenelly said, adding that when he continued to ask more questions, “out of the blue,” Smith asked for the addendum to his contract allowing him to leave with 45 days notice.
“We granted him the addendum, and then he shortly after resigned,” Chenelly said. “Then we heard from the executive team about their contracts, and I was completely unaware of those contracts.”
Chenelly and McConkey found that while Smith’s contracts paid him a base salary of $169,000 a year, his total compensation was upwards of $300,000 in his last year as superintendent. Smith has said that is due to benefits, including life and health insurance coverage that will continue for life for him and his wife, paid by the school system and approved by the previous board. Smith also was permitted to cash in annual sick leave he hadn’t used.
From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2008, payments of $195,274.18 were made — $26,274.18 beyond Smith’s reported salary.
In 2009, Smith’s total compensation was $203,606.06 — $34,606.06 more than the reported salary.
In 2010, the total was $261,491.98 — $92,491.98 more than the reported salary.
In 2011, $318,561.23 was paid out, nearly $150,000 more than Smith’s reported salary. In 2012, which is the last amount available, Smith took home $330,888.54, which is $161,888.54 more than his reported salary of $169,000.
In total for those years, Smith was compensated more than $464,000 beyond his base salary.
Smith publicly said during this time that his salary of $169,000 was continuing to stay the same because he would refuse a raise if teachers were not given a raise. Smith was praised at board meetings for being the lowest-paid superintendent in the state.
Earlier this week, Smith accused parents upset about illegal alien men being allowed into Maryland schools of racism. The 17 and 18 year old suspects charged with the alleged rape, which took place in the boys restroom of Rockville High School last week, are in the United States illegally from Guatemala and El Salvador. At least one has a deportation detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
For days after the alleged assault, Smith refused to grant interviews about the situation and was eventually tracked down by a reporter in the parking lot outside of his office for answers.
