HADLEY - The town will owe Superintendent of Schools Nicholas D. Young between $90,000 and $100,000 in compensation for unused vacation time when he leaves to take the same position in South Hadley later in 2012, the chairwoman of the Hadley School Committee said Monday.

Young's decision to take the job in South Hadley where he lives comes less than two years after he signed a revised six-year contract which - in addition to providing 5 percent annual raises - allowed him to carry over all unused vacation time from year to year. In November 2010, Young was owed about $90,000 for 177 days of unused vacation time.

Young announced last week that he had accepted an offer to become South Hadley's new superintendent. He expects to depart by late June or early July, although the exact timing will not be determine until Young and South Hadley officials agree on a contract. He was chosen from among five finalists to succeed Gus A. Sayer, who announced his retirement in August and had earned $129,000 a year.

Robie Grant, chairwoman of the Hadley School Committee, said it will not take any official action on a successor until Young has completed contract negotiations with South Hadley. Grant said the committee would likely hire an interim superintendent while a search committee is formed to find a full-time replacement, which could take up to a year.

"It's important to realize we have a good school district and we have the time to let parents and the community come in and talk about what they want from a new superintendent," Grant said.

The committee will also need to determine how much money is owed Young during the remainder of his time as Hadley superintendent, she said. Young's new contract increased his annual salary from $126,000 to $134,000 in July 2010.

However, instead of taking the 5 percent raise his contract provided for the current fiscal year, Young accepted the $375 bonus given to all Hadley teachers this year, according to Grant. "He said he would take what the teachers take, but the contract was never amended" to reflect that, she said.

And the value of his unused vacation is another factor to be determined, Grant said. "He has quite a hefty amount of vacation and I don't know exactly what it will be," she added. "I think right now it is between $90,000 and $100,000."

Young, 44, has served as Hadley superintendent for 11 years, and has held positions in the Hadley schools since 1994, including elementary school principal and special education director. In 2000-2001, he filled all three positions.

"He excelled at all three and we didn't miss a beat," said longtime School Committee member Thomas Waskiewicz. "He deserves the best. He is the best."

In 2010, Young was named superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators. And on Monday, he received widespread praise from school committee members.

"As far as Nick goes, he has served the district well as long as he's been here and we wish him well," said Molly Keegan, the board's newest member.

Young's contract in Hadley was revised two years ago after he became a candidate for superintendent in Granby and Longmeadow. At the time, both Young and Waskiewicz spoke about the possibility of the superintendent remaining in Hadley until he retired.

However, the new contract deal became subject of controversy in town after Finance Committee members asked him to disclose the number of vacation days he had accrued to help them plan future budgets. After initial resistance and a request filed by the Gazette with the state supervisor of records the information was released in November 2010.

During her campaign for school committee the following year, Keegan argued that the town had offered Young an excessive contract and she finished first in the voting. Linda Dunleavy, who placed second in that four-person election and won re-election, was one of two school board members to vote against Young's contract. Tracy Kelley, the school committee chairwoman who signed off on Young's contract, lost her seat in that election.

Young's explanation

In a telephone interview Monday, Young said the majority of the vacation time he is due was from the 1990s when he was special education director. "The school committee didn't give me anything extra," he said.

Young also reaffirmed that he would not seek the raise he is owed under this contract this year, beyond the bonus paid to all teachers. "I am not seeking that (raise)," he said. "It will all be negotiated in good faith."

Under his contract, Young must provide Hadley with 120 days notice before departing. Young said he would likely stay on until late June or early July.

Keegan said she was not surprised to learn of Young's decision, pointing out that he has been a finalist for superintendent at several other districts in recent years.

"He's young, he's got quite a resume," Keegan said. "It was logical that after spending so much time in our district he was going to move on."

Kelley, the former school committee chairwoman, said she suspects that Young is leaving because "the majority of the school committee that is there now didn't want Nick to be superintendent any longer.

"It's 100 percent the reason he's leaving and it's sad, it's devastating for Hadley in my opinion," Kelley said. "If he were treated like the professional that he is, he would be here now, we would have him."

However, Young and members of the school committee denied Kelley's assertion.

"Not thinking something is a good business decision is different than thinking someone is a bad person," Keegan said. "I was against the contract then, and I have had a good working relationship with Dr. Young now."

Waskiewicz said "everyone who is on the school committee is there to advance what's best for the Hadley schools. I think the fact that we are not in lockstep in a strength of the school committee."

Young said his decision to leave has everything to do with the opportunity in South Hadley.

"I have a fine working relationship with people on the School Committee across the board," Young said. "We're getting things done, we got a lot of things accomplished in the fall."

He continued, "I look at a school like South Hadley that has a (public relations) challenge, they need a new elementary school. They have a need for someone who can really handle a challenging leadership position and that excites me."

2010 Superintendent Hadley Contract

2001 Superintendent Hadley Contract