Former state-appointed district superintendent Donnie Evans was approved for an $10,900 bonus payment earlier in the month, according to the New Jersey Department of Education.
Evans, who retired last June, received the bonus for boosting elementary school test scores, high school graduation rate, and paving the way for return of local control for two remaining areas under the Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC), state’s district evaluation method, in the 2016-17 school year.
The state approved the bonus on May 11, 2018. His base salary was $218,000 prior to retirement.
Bonus calculation
He received $4,360 for increasing the district’s graduation rate by 1.5-percent. Under Evans, the district’s graduate rate soared to 87.79-percent. In his last year, the rate went up by 1.5-percent, according to the state.
When former governor Jon Corzine appointed Evans in Mar. 2009, the district’s graduation rate was 45.6-percent. Evans boosted the graduation rate by breaking up comprehensive high schools into smaller academies and heavily relying on an online credit recovery program. Students, who failed classes, were able to recover credit by sitting in front of a computer.
He received another $4,360 for work that led to the return of two – instruction and program; and governance — of the five remaining areas under QSAC. The state board of education voted to return full control of the school district to the local school board earlier in the month.
Evans received an additional $2,180 for 3-percent gain or more in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) English section for grades 4, 5, and 7, according to the state.
The state outlined the criteria for the merit pay in Evans’ contract. He has received bonus payments in previous years, mostly for boosting graduation rates.
His $10,900 bonus payment has to come out of the local school budget, according to state.
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