The Washoe County School Board officially has a contract with superintendent Joseph Ernst, and with a new superintendent comes new terms.
The school board says they now require their superintendents to live in Washoe County which has never been required before. One of the most noticeable terms is the $30,000 decrease in the salary compared to the previous contract.
"The previous contract had a starting point of $310,000, and that was based on Dr. Enfield's previous plus ten years of being a superintendent already," said Beth Smith, President of Washoe County School Board. "For Mr. Joe Ernst we are beginning at $280,000."
Even though this will be Ernst's first time as a superintendent, the school district says they are very confident in their academic future under his leadership due his past experience as a teacher, then a vice principal, then a principal.
Ernst says he has no issues with the terms in his contract.
"Yes I think it's very appropriate," he said. "I think it's well-intentioned and a structure to operate in."
Some other terms include there will be no cost-of-living adjustment for Ernst while Enfield did have one.
Enfield's contract there were no performance-based salary increases but in Ernst's contract it says the district will grant a 2% increase if he receives an overall effective rating.
With one of the biggest concerns being longevity of the position, Ernst reassures he's not going anywhere.
"To get at longevity and commitment to our community, as I've said previously throughout my interviews, that's where my commitment is," he said. "I'm committed to this community."
"We know that as a professional he's achieved great heights already, and we know that our community will be pleased with where we go under him," said Smith. "And as someone that's been in Washoe county for more than 25 years, he's here to stay and that's something that we really appreciate as a board and as a community."
Joe Ernst will officially begin as superintendent July 8th.
