Bastrop, Tx–When Bastrop school trustees accepted the resignation of Roderick Emanuel as school superintendent July 6, they also agreed that he will be acting superintendent until his replacement is hired and that he will earn $157,557.20 a year for the next three years beginning July 26 in a new position with the school district.
The pay pact and other details of Emanuel’s new assignment are spelled out in a new employment agreement obtained by Bastrop-News.com under the Texas Public Information Act. The deal was signed July 7 by school board president John Eaton and two other trustees.
The contract says Emanuel will become director of employee relations after his stint as acting superintendent ends. The employee relations director will report to Barry Edwards, the assistant superintendent for personnel. But Emanuel cannot be assigned to any other post–or his pay changed–without his consent before the new contract expires Sept. 30, 2012, the document says.
Emanuel will also retain top health insurance benefits, travel reimbursement, some professional and civic organization costs, vacation and holiday pay as well as a BISD cell phone.
With prior school board approval, Emanuel will also be allowed to pursue outside consulting, writing and speaking engagements.
When announcing his resignation as superintendent, Emanuel said he wants to spend more time with his family and pursue “other personal interests.”
In an interview with The Bastrop Advertiser last week, Eaton said Emanuel had been considering a new role with the district for some weeks before the announcement, but the board president rejected any suggestion that Emanuel had been pressured to step aside. Eaton also said the school district’s academic performance was not an issue when trustees acted on July 6.
By Texas Education Agency standards, both Bastrop High School and Bastrop Middle School are rated academically unacceptable.
During his seven-year tenure as school superintendent, Emanuel helped win voter approval for a major renovation of the Bastrop High School campus as well as bond money to construct a new high school at Cedar Creek, a new athletic stadium near Cedar Creek and an auditorium and performing arts facility in Bastrop.