Caldarelli Contract Not Extended

A decision by the Ventura school board against extending Supt. Cesare Caldarelli Jr.’s contract one more year was not tied to his job performance, a board member said Friday.

“They did not ask him to leave,” board member John Walker said of the board’s action during a closed session this week. Caldarelli’s three-year contract expires June 30, 1994. In deciding not to extend the contract, the board met a May 1 deadline set under the contract.

Walker said the decision by the Ventura Unified School District board was based on the type of contract Caldarelli has. Usually, the board evaluates the superintendent’s performance each year, and if it is satisfactory, the board extends his contract one more year.

Walker said Caldarelli always has at least two years left on the agreement, known as an evergreen contract. Walker said the contract “obligates public money for a long time,” if the board should ever decide to fire the superintendent and buy out his contract.

“In the superintendent’s mind, he may look at this as a slap in the face, but the board is not out after him,” Walker said. “We did not have an opportunity to evaluate him.”

If the board later decides to extend the contract by a year, it can do so, he said. The superintendent’s performance evaluation is usually done in July and August.

Caldarelli, whose salary is about $93,000 a year, could not be reached for comment.

Neither Walker nor board President Terence Kilbride would say what the vote was Tuesday night. Citing confidentiality laws, Kilbride said he could not talk about the reasons behind the vote.

However, in a decision last year, Walker was the sole board member to vote against extending the superintendent’s contract.

Last November, two new members, Jim Wells and Diane Harriman, were elected to the board. During the election campaign, Harriman said she did not favor evergreen contracts.

Kilbride said Friday he is pleased with Caldarelli’s performance.

“If you ask me whether the superintendent has performed satisfactorily the last 12 months, I think he has--more than satisfactorily,” Kilbride said.

The board’s action may pose some legal questions. Kilbride said that under the contract, the board must evaluate the superintendent every year. If they decide not to add another year to the contract, they must give him the reasons behind the decision, he said.

Asked if that had been done, Kilbride said, “Not that I know of.” Other board members could not be reached.

Caldarelli’s four years with the school district have been rocky. In 1990, 93% of the 524 teachers polled by the Ventura Unified Education Assn. voted no confidence in Caldarelli. The vote came after a tough fight over negotiations for a new contract for the teachers.

At that time, teachers, as well as some administrators, said Caldarelli was an imperious manager who often refused to listen to colleagues or subordinates.

John Gennaro, president of the Ventura Unified Education Assn., also was unavailable for comment.