Whipple says he will remain at WACO if the board so desires

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

WAYLAND ? WACO Superintendent Fred Whipple left the ball in the school board?s court Monday night.

The school board, during its regular meeting, discussed the options for the superintendent?s position during the current school year. Whipple, who assumed the administrative post in July following the retirement of Dr. Darrell Smith, said he was open to continuing as superintendent as long as needed.

Originally, the plans were to have Whipple serve until October 2015. However, the superintendent the board was planning to hire on a part-time, interim basis, died in late summer. Consequently, the board asked and Whipple consented to remain at the helm of the district.

Whipple, who is currently paid on a per diem basis of $400 a day and works two days a week, said he would continue working for the same pay for the duration of the 2015-16 school year.

?I don?t mind the drive from Burlington (where he resides),? he began. ?I would like to come back, but if I do, I would like my wife to retire, so that I wouldn?t have to ask my neighbor to let my dog out at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays (days he is at WACO),? he chuckled. Whipple?s wife is currently a librarian in the Mediapolis School District.

Whipple said things might become clearer in the next several months regarding the school district?s options. The school board is considering either retaining Whipple, hiring a part-time superintendent or sharing a superintendent with another school district.

?Things are going to start becoming hectic in the next month or two,? Whipple said. ?You are going to see some changes.?

He said he talked to a possible candidate for the job, but the candidate said he wouldn?t do it for $50 per hour, which is what Whipple is receiving. The board has not detailed what they would offer another candidate.

Regarding sharing a superintendent with another school district, Whipple said he doesn?t think WACO would have anything to gain by sharing an administrator with a small district. ?If you share, you should share with a larger school district.

He said if he were to come back the next school year, he would like some benefits, such as nine vacation days and six sick days. He would like the vacation and sick days to be carried forward into the 2017-18 school year. In the event the contract would terminate, he would receive pay for vacation days accumulated and unused. Finally, he asked for a $15,000 group term life insurance policy.

The benefits outlined, he said, would amount to 40 percent of the benefits given to the previous full-time superintendent. ?I think this would be fair and not costing you a lot,? he commented.

Whipple advised the district to keep its options open. ?If you found someone you really liked, I would step aside. If you want to wait a few months (before making a decision) and see what happens with some other school districts (namely Columbus Community in Columbus Junction and Keota), that is fine. There might be something out there.

?You can just look it over,? he said of his proposal. ?This gives you a clear path of where I?m at.?

Whipple was superintendent at Mediapolis before retiring several years ago. Since retiring, he served as an interim superintendent at Pekin.

The board took no action on the matter.