Bossert’s Term Extended by Port Jeff School Board

Port Jefferson Superintendent Ken Bossert’s contract was extended by the school board until 2017, according to a statement released by the school district.

Although the existing three-year agreement wasn’t up until 2014, the board decided to stretch it. School boards usually examine a Superintendent’s contract at the end of every year, according to Board of Education President Mark Doyle.

“By extending Dr. Bossert's contract to five years, the Board recognizes his accomplishments this year and conveys our confidence in his ability to lead the district through what will surely be one of our most difficult periods as we deal with the ,” he said.

Bossert’s contract has been extended through June 30, 2017. The school board reports that there no significant changes to the terms and conditions of the contract. There are also no changes in compensation.

The Superintendent voluntarily waived a contractual increase tied to the Consumer Price Index that would have provided him with a 3.2 percent raise in salary for next year. His base salary is $195,000 for the current school year and will not change for the 2012-2013 school year.

The board also pointed to other accomplishments of Bossert’s over his initial term. Bossert has remade the district's leadership team by for all three schools, delivered and changed or recalibrated .

Future challenges for the Superintendent are also not small. Besides the LIPA tax grievance, Bossert will also have to contend with a resolution of the outstanding contractual agreement with the district's teachers, alignment of the district's curriculum with the Common Core Standards, and institution of the APPR (teacher evaluation) requirements.

"As we face these challenges, the Board of Education and the community need to have confidence in leadership continuity," said Doyle in a statement.

Bossert was delighted with the board’s decision and said he was proud of his position at Superintendent of Schools for Port Jefferson. He looks forward to facing the upcoming challenges that the district faces with the help of the community.

“I am incredibly confident that the Port Jefferson community is prepared to address these changes in a profound manner, one that will only improve our standing as an excellent public school district,” he said.