New Simi Superintendent to Earn $96,000

New schools chief Dan Flynn will begin work this morning with a starting annual salary of $96,000--with the promise of another $10,000 over the next year if he does well.

Simi Valley Unified School District trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved contract terms for the new superintendent--the first sign of board agreement on the subject in months.

“This contract protects the district,” said trustee Carla Kurachi, one of two on the five-member board who opposed Flynn’s appointment on Oct. 14. “It’s a solid one that I can support. Flynn can also count on my support to help make the district successful.”

Flynn, 45, who said he was making about $78,000 as a Head Start coordinator in Los Angeles County, said he was “exuberant” about the deal. “I thank you for placing your trust in me,” he told the board. “We will work together. . . . I feel blessed to be here.”

Adding that he was “3 feet off the ground” following the vote, he rushed out to call his wife and six children.

Flynn is the seventh superintendent, including temporary leaders, to head Simi Valley Unified--the county’s largest school district--in seven years.

His contract runs through May and would be extended through October 1998 if trustees are happy with his performance. If he remains in favor with the board, his contract could then be extended again through June 2000.

Each contract extension would include a raise of $5,000.

Union leaders, who opposed Flynn’s appointment, vowed at the meeting to work with the new schools chief.

Alan Coyle, president of union representing nonteaching employees, said he was satisfied with Flynn’s initial salary. “But a bump of $10,000 . . . seems a little extreme,” he said.

Flynn’s salary is lower than the $108,000 paid the last permanent superintendent, Tate Parker.

Although Parker’s contract gave him an initial three-year term, he abruptly left the district five months after he was hired and the board bought out his contract for about $80,000.

Tuesday’s vote ends an acrimonious chapter in the district’s history. Board President Norm Walker brought forward Flynn’s name in September, before the district had begun a formal search for a new permanent leader.

Some, including two trustees, objected not only to the lack of a search but also to Flynn’s qualifications. Although he has a doctorate in education, Flynn has never held a high-level administrator’s post.

Supporters, however, said Flynn’s energy and love of children made him a natural for the job.