School Board to Consider New Employment Contract with Director Mark Willoughby

The DeKalb County Board of Education is considering entering into a new employment contract with Director of Schools Mark Willoughby.
The issue was discussed at an informal workshop Thursday evening attended by board members John David Foutch, Charles Robinson, Kenny Rhody, Joan Draper, and Johnny Lattimore.
Willoughby’s current three year contract with the board took effect July 1st, 2006 and is scheduled to expire June 30th, 2009.
Because it was not a regular or special called meeting, no vote could be taken, but board members seemed to be in agreement with a proposal to terminate Willoughby’s current contract, which still has one year left, and enter into a new three year deal with him, effective July 1st, 2008 to June 30th, 2011.
Terms and conditions would be basically the same. Willoughby’s base salary, beginning July 1st, would be $85,308 plus another state required $1,000 as a CEO. He would get a three percent increase each year of the contract following an annual favorable evaluation.
In the current contract, the school system funds Willoughby’s total family health insurance package. However under the proposed new agreement, the school system would instead pay a part of the coverage but would add $5,103 to Willoughby’s salary pushing his pay to more than $90,000 a year. Officials say this would be a benefit to Willoughby for retirement and tax purposes and it would increase the retirement paid by the system by $327 per year.
The board will formally consider Willoughby’s contract at a special meeting on June 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the board of education building.