Contract Extended For HCPSS Superintendent, No Salary Increase

Columbia MD

10 February, 2022

6:00 PM

Description

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Howard County Public School System Superintendent Michael J. Martirano's contract has been extended through the 2025-2026 school year. His four-year contract was scheduled to expire June 30, 2022. Maryland state law provides a timeline and process for the renewal of a superintendent's appointment. That process, set out in § 4-201(b) of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, requires the superintendent to inform the board if he is seeking a second contract and the board is required to decide before the end of February whether to renew. The superintendent sought a contract that aligned to the terms of the current contract and did not seek an additional increase in salary. The negotiated salary for the next four years is a continuation of the current contract that included an annual .5 percent salary increase. The superintendent's salary increases .5 percent annually from $289,296 during the final year of the current contract to $290,743 to begin the first year of the new contract. The signed contract has been posted online. "On behalf of the Howard County Board of Education, we are extremely grateful and comforted that Dr. Martirano will remain our superintendent for the next four years," HCPSS Board of Education Chair Vicky Cutroneo said. "Nearly five years ago, Dr. Martirano joined the school system as interim superintendent during a very tumultuous time. Since then, first as acting and then as the permanent superintendent, he has successfully addressed major system deficiencies and implemented a comprehensive strategic call to action to guide our system's work. Through his collaborative leadership, he has worked with our state and county leaders to put the school system on stable financial footing, advance much needed capital projects, and most important of all, leverage funding and resources for special education, student well-being, technology and many other overlooked areas."