Oysterponds, NY

UPDATE - Superintendent wants early retirement and the school board gave it to him.  He also gets health care (medical insurance) for life.  I'll also bet he is a republican and hates Obamacare.

The following is from a few days back:

Little local brouhaha going on here.  Oysterponds is a school district on the north shore, far east end of Long Island (you can map Orient, NY).  It is a year around community area of a few thousand people that swells with the NYC swells to a population two or three times that in the summer.

It has a K-6 school called Oysterponds UFSD and this is the "superintendent".  The school has about 1 class per level or about 100+ kids total and by all measure and means it is a good one. 

Last year's budget was about $6 million or about $60,000 a kid in gross spending. The super, (pictured) and taken from the Suffolk Times, a fine local newspaper (Stuart Rachlin is the super's name) makes about $180k a year on a 5 year contract.  Now remember he is superintendent but there is alsothe normal grade school contingent of administration and office helpers.  He has a secretary at $40,000+ and the administrative costs in his office is above $80,000. (see budget here).  He wants out of his last year of his contract. So the board of education is offering him a $100,000 buyout (HE WANTS TO RESIGN MIND YOU) and lifetime health insurance.  In any place I've ever worked when someone says they want to leave early and break a contract to do so there is a handshake and a farewell lunch and hit the road. Obviously not so in Oysterponds.  Thank God he stuck around this long otherwise it would have cost real money.

There are some elements in the community who think this is nuts.  I'm not going to get involved but I keep seeing the scene in Frankenstein where the villagers, armed with pitchforks and hoes, chase the monster across the bridge.

Just want you to know that rural Long Island has its share of ...how can I say this nicely...intereresting situations(??).