DAVENPORT, Iowa-- The Davenport School Board approved the contract with the district's new superintendent during its Monday, February 25 meeting. Five board members voted in favor of the contract while one voted against it.
The new superintendent Robert Kobylski will have an annual $239,000 salary. He'll also receive $500 a month for in-district travel and $1,500 a year to pay for "reasonable" dues and fees in professional and community organizations.
Kobylski will also get $10,000 for moving expenses and $2,500 to terminate his current contract. His first day is June 1, 2019.
Daniel Gosa was the only board member to oppose the contract. Participating in the meeting via phone, he says he supports Kobylski as the district's new superintendent but could not support the salary and other monetary benefits.
Gosa says the contract is too generous given where the district is financially.
"We believe (Kobylski's) going to help the whole district and the community," board president Ralph Johanson told News 8. "I believe that we settled on the candidate that's going to help our district and especially our students and parents. I had discussions with director Gosa. He supports the superintendent. He just believed that the contract was a little rich. So he could not support that contract with all of the dollars and everything else, the compensation that was in there, for a new superintendent."
Gosa told News 8 he also didn't like that the contract did not require the new superintendent to live in the district. The contract says "the Board encourages the Superintendent" to live within the district.
