School Superintendent Arthur Melia will receive $579,882 for leaving his job in Randolph, Massachusetts. Most of the buyout funds will come from state money put aside for special education, say school committee members who believe that the school system needs new leadership. Member Grace Cornish said that many people were upset that Melia received a salary of $170,000: ''It became extremely distressing every time we'd hear about the superintendent's salary,'' she said.

But, we ask, what about the special education money not being used for special needs' children and the services/resources they need?

Another buyout several years ago in Texas proved to be prophetic: Diana Lam was paid $781,000 to get out of San Antonio Texas, and the School Board wanted her out so badly that they had to change the law prohibitting buyouts in order to get her out.

Buyout deal: Randolph taps special ed fund to pay superintendent
Melia - Special education cash to fund buyout By FRED HANSON (The Patriot Ledger, June 2, 2004)

RANDOLPH - State dollars meant for special education will provide the bulk of the money the $579,882 buyout of School Superintendent Arthur Melia's employment contract.

The school committee reaffirmed the deal on a 3-2 vote late last night and also detailed where the money for the buyout will come from in the current $28.46 million school budget.

School committee members who approved the deal were at first reluctant to take a vote on transferring money out of various accounts to fund the buyout. School committee member Michael Crowley said lawyers for the committee said the May 12 vote to approve the deal authorized the transfers.

Committee members who supported buying out Melia's contract said they did so because the system needs new leadership.

School committee member Larry Azer wanted the committee to detail the sources of the money for the buyout. ''What is the hesitation in taking a single vote in showing the community where the money is coming from,'' said Azer, who opposed the deal.

School committee member Grace Cornish said the schools have come up with money for unexpected expenses before without having to formally transfer the money, citing repairs to the pool at Randolph High School. ''I don't believe I was called to task on where the money came from'' for the pool, she said.

The state money for special education is reimbursement for money already spent by the town. Melia said the school committee had not planned on the money in the current school budget.

Crowley said that despite using special education reimbursements for the buyout, ''at no time did any special education student go without any services due to any action of this school committee.''

Since all of the money will be paid to Melia during the current year, the buyout has no impact on the 2004-05 budget proposal that will go before town meeting next month.

The school committee is seeking a budget of $30.77 million, and the finance committee is recommending $28.97 million.

Azer said he could not justify the cost of the buyout. ''This money could have been spent elsewhere,'' he said.

Finance committee Chairman Arthur Goldstein questioned the source of the funds. He said a report he received from the schools showed only $169,000 remaining in the school's expense budget that wasn't either already spent or committed.

''It doesn't make sense,'' Goldstein said.

State Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton, has called for the committee to reconsider its decision. In approving extra special education aid, it wasn't the Legislature's intent the money ''be used to fund a buyout of a superintendent's salary.''

For the second time, school committee Chairman Ron DiGuilio, Cornish and Crowley voted in favor of the buyout and Azer and committee member Edward Gilbert were opposed. The motion detailed where the money for the buyout would come from.

Under the buyout, Melia will receive $385,000 for the final two years on his contract in exchange for dropping all legal claims against the school system. He will receive $194,882 for unused sick and vacation time.

The agreement also guarantees Melia 60 workdays to ''assist the committee in its transition'' at a daily rate of $773, for an additional $46,380.

Cornish said she voted for the buyout because residents were complaining about Melia's $170,000 annual salary. ''It became extremely distressing every time we'd hear about the superintendent's salary,'' she said.

She said she also heard complaints about the lack of communications between the schools and parents and the community as well as MCAS scores that were below surrounding communities.

DiGuilio said ''it was very hard for me to make a decision'' to support the buyout.

He said he kept hearing from people that town meeting would not support the school committee's budget requests if Melia remained.

Also at last night's meeting, members of the Randolph Unity Network and the Minority Parents Partnership demanded an apology from the committee and DiGuilio for comments made at the committee's April 15 meeting.

At the meeting, DiGuilio called the Minority Parent Partnership ''a lynch mob'' for negative comments about the schools made at the meeting. DiGuilio said he wouldn't apologize for his use of the term, and added he didn't mean anything racial by his choice of words.

Funding the buyout

Here's where the money will come from for buying out the contract of Randolph School Superintent Arthur Melia,

-Special education reimbursements: $300,000

-Savings due to early retirements: $89,695

-Savings in fuel oil costs: $40,500

-Savings from the school security account: $38,000

-Savings from vocational account: $38,000

-Unused salary for an assistant school superintendent: $35,528

The remainder would come from the worker's compensation reimbursement account and school committee expenses.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.

Copyright 2004 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Friday, May 28, 2004