TUSD Superintendent contract preempts public process
The TUSD Governing Board voted last night to extend the contract of Superintendent John Pedicone. The extension commits TUSD to Pedicone until 2014.
The vote to extend was 3-1 with Michael Hicks abstaining. Later Hicks claimed his abstention was a “No” vote. Dr. Mark Stegeman was the only Board member who voted against the extension, preferring instead to avoid any undue influence of Pedicone over the upcoming school board elections.
“We are about to go through an election where a majority of the Board will be up, and I think this action preempts the public process,” said Stegeman.
Pedicone had actively recruited candidates and privately offered support to candidates and Board members who might become or remain one of his bosses.
Miguel Cuevas voted for the extension saying that he was trying to avoid a political decision. However, the move is seen as an effort to maintain Pedicone’s support for his re-election. It is widely known that Pedicone can enlist big money donors to those TUSD Board members who cooperate and support him. Cuevas, who is a Democrat, has lost the support of both democrats for his opposition to Mexican American Studies, and republicans for very liberal fiscal policies.
After extending Pedicone’s contract, the TUSD Board members approved a Pay for Performance award of more than $35,000. Only Dr. Mark Stegeman abstained, saying that he had problems with the process. The amount of the award was less than half of the maximum allowed by Pedicone’s contract.