Officials OK 4-Year Contract With New Beach Superintendent

By Lauren Roth, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Mar. 29–VIRGINIA BEACH — Jim Merrill’s first day at the helm of Virginia Beach City Public Schools will be July 1.

The School Board on Tuesday night approved a four-year contract with Merrill, the superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System in North Carolina.

He will be paid $198,500 a year as superintendent and maintain his own health insurance, according to the contract. Sheila S. Magula, who has been filling in as superintendent, is paid $190,626 a year. She will return to her former job as deputy superintendent July 1, she said Tuesday night.

Magula’s predecessor, Timothy R. Jenney , retired last summer. He was paid $201,432. The board chose Merrill from a list of five finalists after two previous top choices dropped out.

Merrill, who was named North Carolina’s Superintendent of the Year in 2005, will be moving from a district with 21,449 students to a division with about 74,000.

Board members said they were impressed with Merrill’s work to raise the achievement of minorities. In his six years in Alamance-Burlington, test scores rose 14.8 percent among black and Hispanic students and 9.6 percent among whites.

“Throughout the process he has demonstrated leadership and the ability to work with 11 board members,” added Vice Chairman Sandra Smith-Jones.

Reach Lauren Roth at (757) 222-5133 or lauren.roth@pilotonline.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

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