The Elkhart Community Schools board this week approved a contract extension for Superintendent Larry Huff. He’ll receive less than the board initially offered because he feared some in the community might think the board’s initial offer was too generous.
The board earlier this month offered to increase Huff’s annual salary from $165,000 to $220,000. Adding annual payments to his retirement fund, and potential bonuses if he stays through 2028 and if students reach achievement levels, Huff’s annual compensation could have risen as high as $267,000.
That would have made Huff the area’s second-highest paid superintendent, after LaPorte Community Schools Superintendent Mark Francesconi, who made $304,000 last year.
But at the board’s May 13 meeting, Huff said he never wants to be a story for the district. He asked for the bonuses to be removed.
So the board came back Tuesday and approved a contract without the bonuses. They’ll pay a smaller salary of $195,000 but will increase deferred annual payments into his retirement fund, from 8% to 12% of his salary. His salary will increase each year based on increases bargained by teachers.
Huff’s total annual compensation will be $218,000, making him the region’s third-highest-paid superintendent, behind La Porte’s Francesconi and Penn-Harris-Madison Schools’ new superintendent, Heather Short, who’ll be paid $235,000 annually.
South Bend schools superintendent Todd Cummings was paid $250,000 last year but left this year for a superintendent position in Arizona.
