New Superintendent's Contract Reflects 'Belt Tightening'

Pleasanton's pick for superintendent, Parvin Ahmadi, will earn a base annual salary of $220,000 after the school board gave final approval to her three-year contract Tuesday.

The salary is a lower than current Superintendent John Casey's $227,000.

Ahmadi's salary and benefits package reflects "a tightening of the belt" in all areas of the school district, said Chris Grant, president of the Pleasanton Unified School District board.

Ahmadi's contract eliminates a $10,000 yearly tax sheltered annuity. It also provides $4,800 a year less in car allowances and $4,500 a year less in life insurance premium contributions.

The package will cost about $26,000 a year less than Casey's is getting in his final year before retirement.

The district will give Ahmadi $500 a year contribution for a life insurance policy, $600 a month in car allowance and $100 a month in technology allowance for phone and internet access. The terms of the contract lasts from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2013.

Grant said Ahmadi has been accommodating of the district's economic situation. He said Ahmadi has also offered to cut her base salary further by matching the five furlough days school management staff will be taking in coming year.

The school board determines each year whether the base salary will be increased during Ahmadi's evaluation. According to the contract, the adjustment will be the same "as any compensation adjustment applied to certificated managers in the school district."