Plus Benefits: Breaking Down Maxwell's Contract

The $290,000 salary offered to new Prince George's County Public Schools CEO Kevin Maxwell is only the tip of the iceberg, compensation-wise, according to documents released by the Prince George's Board of Education last week. 

Read the full contract here. 

The Basics

Maxwell starts the four-year contract with a base salary of $290,000 per year. He is eligible for salary increases each subsequent year of the contract, provided the Board of Education approves an increase. Also, his salary cannot be reduced unless mutually agreed upon. 

Maxwell is eligible for annual performance bonuses worth up to 10 percent of his annual salary during the previous fiscal year. The bonus, and the performance measures by which the bonus is awarded, must be approved by the school board.

Maxwell is eligible to receive the same cost of living adjustments as other county schools faculty and staff receive from year to year, unless he receives a performance bonus equal or greater than the cost of living increase.

Maxwell will also be paid $43,000 per year in deferred retirement benefits, in addition to his participation in the Maryland state employee retirement program.

Fringe benefits include the use of a county car and driver, a security detail, a laptop and a cell phone.

Annual Leave

Maxwell is allowed 36 days of annual leave each year. He has the option to either carry over up to 10 unused days of annual leave each year, cash in up to 10 unused days of annual leave per year, a value of more than $11,000. When Maxwell leaves office, he is entitled to cash in up to 25 days worth of unused leave, a value of roughly $27,880 according to his current base salary.

Sick Leave

On his first day on the job, Maxwell will start with just under 66 days of sick leave available, the amount of unused sick leave he accrued before he left his last post as superintendent of the Anne Arundel county school system. He also accrues 15 days of sick leave for every year he stays on. He cannot cash out his sick leave, but he entitled to apply it as a creditable service with the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System.

Expense Account

Maxwell also has a $25,000 per year expense account which he can use "in the pursuit of educational excellence." Some of the ways to engage that pursuit include attending local, state and national conferences and keeping up to date with Maxwell's membership in various educational associations and professional groups. 

Penalty Reimbursement 

When Maxwell resigned from the Anne Arundel County school system, he was penalized for not giving three months notice to the school board. His new contract with Prince George's County, however, is expected to take much of the sting out of that penalty. Per his new contract, Maxwell will be reimbursed up to $15,000 for any penalty imposed by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.

It should be noted that Maxwell's new contract with Prince George's County has no such sudden resignation penalty clause.