New superintendent’s contract details released

The Marysville Board of Education found the type of candidate it was looking for in Zack Howard, a leader with experience as a superintendent and also intimate knowledge of the local community.

“I think we found a very good local candidate in Zack and a very experienced candidate,” board president Bill Keck said Tuesday night at a community welcome event for the new superintendent. “I think that’s what it really came down to, in our candidates, was the experience level.”

Howard’s experience in the superintendent’s seat, as well as the variety of positions he held in the Pickerington school district, made him well prepared for the demands of the job.

“I don’t think there’s any job in the district that he wouldn’t tackle himself,” Keck said. “He’s demonstrated that, in talking to people from Mount Gilead.”

But experience comes with costs. Howard was given a five-year contract, starting Aug. 1, with an annual salary of $198,500 that grows by 3% each year.

The contract also offers an annuity, equal to 13.5% of his base salary, paid into a tax-deferred account and the district will pay Howard’s portion of the retirement contribution into the State Teachers Retirement System.

Also part of the contract is $100 per month to defray the cost of a cell phone, a one-time $10,000 payment to help with costs of relocation into the district and the board will pay Howard’s share of the Medicare payroll tax and premiums for life insurance coverage at a level of no less than twice his annual salary.

Retiring superintendent Diane Allen’s salary for this year is $198,388.

Comparison of other area superintendent salaries. (Date associated with salary in parentheses)

•Heidi Kegley, Delaware, $158,570 (2023)

•Trent Bowers, Worthington, $183,625 (2023)

•John Marschhausen, Dublin, $198,900 (2023)

•David Stewart, Hilliard, $204,920 (2023)

•Todd Meyer, Olentangy, $215,000 (2025)

•Robert Hunt, Upper Arlington, $230,000 (2023)

•Angela Hamberg, Westerville, $230,000 (2025)