FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The Broward County School Board finalized the new superintendent’s contract during a special session Thursday morning.
Board members met for over an hour and ultimately agreed to approve Dr. Vickie Cartwright’s contract of nearly three years at a salary of $350,000 annually.
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Her salary is comparable to the salaries of superintendents in neighboring districts. The board’s chair told board members the salary was based upon what was considered reasonable for the size of the district.
“The range that the position was advertised for was $350,000 – $365,000. The agreement has the low end of that at $350,000,” said Laurie Levinson, Chair of the Broward School Board.
The deal is a compromise, Cartwright agreed to a shorter term and lower salary. She initially pushed for the maximum salary the job was advertised for, $365,000.
In comparison, the district’s former Superintendent Robert Runcie, who was hired in 2011, was initially paid $275,000 a year. A starting salary that’s $81,000 dollars less, however, that was 11 years ago.
When Runcie resigned in 2021, his salary at the time was $356,000.
Board members asked for a few amendments to the contract, including removing a clause that would require the superintendent to undergo a medical exam to prove she’s in good health. Some board members felt it was an invasion of privacy.
The board voted 7-1 to have the clause removed from the contract.
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CBS4 News spoke with Dr. Cartwright following the meeting and she said she was excited about the new position and she felt the contract was fair.
