FORMER BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS superintendent Tommy Chang received $267,383, the equivalent of one year’s salary, for agreeing to resign two years before his contract was scheduled to expire.
According to the settlement agreement, Chang will also be paid for 27 days of accrued vacation time and three days of accrued personal paid time off. A portion of his health insurance will be paid for up to 12 months.
Although Boston Mayor Marty Walsh wanted Chang removed, the school committee wrote him a glowing letter of recommendation. “We have appreciated his partnership and his work in leading efforts toward equity and academic improvement in a complex school system,” the letter concludes.
As is typical of these types of agreements, the parties are not allowed to criticize each other. “Both Dr. Chang and the City of Boston/School Committee agree that in any public statements each party shall refer to the other in a respectful manner,” the settlement agreement states.
Chang took charge of the 56,000-student Boston school system in 2015 after a national search was conducted. He was given a five-year contract. At the time, Walsh expressed high praise for Chang, hailing him as “a transformative leader.” But Chang had a tough time this past year with repeated controversies that apparently put him on Walsh’s bad side.