Middlefield, OH – Huskie Pride continues inside the Cardinal Local School District as Superintendent, Dr. Scott J. Hunt, will remain in the pivotal role for three more years. “Retaining Dr. Hunt was the Board’s top priority,” says Cardinal Board of Education President Ken Klima. “We are extremely pleased to reach this agreement and have his leadership in place as we continue to move this district forward.” The Board unanimously approved Dr. Hunt’s new three-year contract in March; it will go into effect on August 1, 2016, and run through July 31, 2019. “I am honored that the Board wholeheartedly wants me to continue as Superintendent here at Cardinal,” says Hunt. “We have made huge strides in the last three years but there is still work to be done, and it is a privilege to be able to continue building on the progress already being made in our District.”
“The changes Dr. Hunt has helped implement in his three years here are really setting us apart from other districts in the area,” says Klima. “By capitalizing on and securing grant opportunities, Cardinal has made upgrades in technology with the 1:1 iPad rollout at the high school and put Chromebooks in every classroom at practically no cost to the District. The addition of block scheduling, improved course selections, 39 College Credit Plus offerings at the high school, all day every day Kindergarten and so many other improvements are all preparing our kids for brighter futures than ever before. And the best part is that these things are happening right now, it’s not a futuristic dream, this is our District’s current reality.”
A goal for Superintendent Hunt as he looks ahead is to continue to provide an open, honest, and transparent Board Office for the community. “To be honest, we have had some struggles here recently, and there is a lot of talk in the community about this District,” says Hunt. “I want to work to improve the frequency of communications coming out of this office so that the community hears about school news, good or bad, from our office first. It’s a key component to building trust and giving the community confidence in the continued success of this district; which is also why I want to be the first to share my contract details with you.”
Hunt holds a Doctorate in Education and has been in the field for more than 20 years serving in teaching, counseling, and administrative roles. His new contract is similar to the current one expiring July 31, 2016. He will work 260 days a year receiving a salary of $105,000 annually – the same amount he made in his current contract expiring July 31, 2016. New contract provisions also include the same allotments for vacation/personal days, and reimbursements for training, travel expenses, cell phone, and professional membership fees. Under the new contract, Hunt will earn compensation in the event he secures grant dollars for the district. The compensation would be part of the grant dollars provided to the district and would not come out of any existing district funding. Hunt and other administrators in the district are actively seeking and applying for grant opportunities to help secure additional revenue for student programming at Cardinal schools.
“This current Board fully supports the contract; the salary and other particulars are in line with and comparable to other Districts nearby and of our size,” Klima says. “This is a fair and affordable contract for the District – which is crucial to understand as we face a levy campaign.”
The Board of Education voted in March to place a 4.5 mill levy on the August ballot. If passed, the money would generate $1.3 million for the district each year. Because of continued state funding cuts to public education, that money has been deemed an absolute necessity in order to protect and preserve the Cardinal Local School District, its buildings, and services provided to students.
Image Courtesy of: https://pixabay.com/en/northern-cardinal-male-bird-winter-938377/
