October 17, 2008
A $39,000 retirement gift
Three months after West Genesse School Superintendent Rudolph C. Rubeis announced his retirement, the school board upped the longevity provision in his contract, allowing him to collect an extra $39,000 -- just 11 days before he retired.
An audit by the state comptroller, expected to be released today,criticizes the school board for giving Rubeis an "after-the-fact bonus," the Syracuse Post-Standard reports.
The audit says the additional money appears to be "gratuity paid for work already performed and compensated," but it stopped short of saying the district should try to recoup it.
"To the extent that the purpose of the longevity payment was to help retain talented personnel, the payment should not have been increased for someone who had already announced his retirement," it said.
The audit also says the school board should have done a better job describing to the public what changes they were making to Rubeis' contract. The newspaper quotes school board President Tim Bates as saying the bonus was given to Rubeis, who served as superintendent for 20 years, to reward him for his hard work.
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