School Superintendent Receives Contract Extension

Dr. Eric Bracy

SMITHFIELD – Johnston County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Bracy has received a contract extension. The board voted unanimously to extend Dr. Bracy’s contract one additional year.

Bracy was hired in May 2020 as the new superintendent and signed a four year contract, ending June 30, 2024. At their August 10, 2021 meeting, the school board voted unanimously to extend the contract to June 30, 2025. No other terms of the contract were changed.

The contract extension was not formally signed by school board chair Todd Sutton and Vice Chair Terri Sessoms until October 12, 2021. School officials declined to release a copy of the contract until it was signed. When Dr. Bracy was first hired, a copy of his unsigned contract was released without issue.

“It is an honor to have the support of the Johnston County Board of Education,” Dr. Bracy told The Johnston County Report. “The students of Johnston County deserve the very best, and I am deeply committed to reaching our district’s goal of having all of our school’s earn a school letter grade of either an A, B, or C by the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year. I look forward to continuing to work with our Board, staff, students, and communities to make this happen.” 

Dr. Bracy was hired last year at a starting salary of $195,000. He will receive $20,000 in performance pay every 12 months if he meets “measureable goals for improvement” as specified by the school board.

Bracy and his dependents receive full medical insurance coverage, including dental and vision under the state health plan. The school system deposits $200 per month in a flexible spending account for use by Dr. Bracy, his spouse, and his dependents as permitted by law.

In addition, a $10,000 per year payment is made to a tax-deferred annuity program of the Superintendent’s choosing upon completion of each 12 months of his contract. The school board also pays for the cost of membership for professional and civic organizations he joins.

The school chief also received $500 per month for travel reimbursement within Johnston County, and is reimbursed for any additional travel outside Johnston County.

Under the terms of the contract, if Dr. Bracy resigns, he must give the school board at least 60 days written notice. If he is dismissed, his severance pay will equal the salary he would have earned for the remaining time of his contract.

Bracy’s starting salary of $195,000 was less than the starting pay of former superintendent Dr. Ross Renfrow who received $215,022 when he was hired for the job in 2016. Under Renfrow’s employment contract, if terminated, he would have received compensation equal to two years salary, or the end date of the contract, whichever was sooner.

According to Salary.com, the average salary of a public school superintendent in North Carolina is $158,811.

12 COMMENTS

    • Ms.Jane, this school board is very connected to the political reality coming to them the same way Chairman Chad Stewart understood and he bailed out with his local government job pare-shoot waiting for him.

      Ms. Jane I expect they put a clause into the Superintendent contract that when this school board flips the cost of firing the Pro-CRT Superintendent will be so high that as taxpayers we want be able to fire him because of what we would have to pay him to leave?

  1. Why extend a contract when there are still years to go on it? $10 says he resigns before it’s over and has a great balloon clause to still get paid just the the rest of them have had. Tax payer money hard at work, smh!

  2. Does anyone know if the old school superintendent Dr.Parker got his $180,000.00 sweetheart deal that $180-K-Carroll wanted to give him in closed door session? Hey, it is just free money folks that these teachers Union CRT Cults on this school board has got to spend by 2024 or lose that $104,000,000.00 of federal covid-19 money. $104,000,000.00 dollars of extra free federal money that this board is going to want you Tax Payers to make up for when it is gone. Go ahead and those of you that can afford it and take your kids to private schools the school board don’t care. They have several South American Countries on the way with millions of kids to replace your child’s place and your homes and properties will be so heavily taxed to pay for their education you will be more than happy to give it over to the new Socialist-Communist Democrat Party.

    • Last I checked our school board and county commissioners were majority “conservative” Republicans. When shall we oust the RINOs from the GOP instead of blaming “the other party”? Not until we censure the RINOs from among the party, I tell you.

      • Truth! It’s the UNIparty of Dems and RINO Republicans! We the people need to take back control, remove the hate teaching, hold each other truly accountable, implement logical policies and slow/stop the housing growth until the schools can catch up and most importantly stop the removal of God from society.

      • Mr. Brett Smith there is no way you can come on here and expect these rednecks to believe that Teri Sessions the past President of the Teacher’s Union and $180-K-Carroll that skipped the meeting to put a CRT policy in place because he would not be seen voting for anything anti-CRT are Republican. You are trying to defend Socialist- Communist Democrats my friend.

      • Have student scores increased yet? Does he have a proven track record of success in joco yet? Both are no and he’s only been on the job for 18months so no new contract until the tax payers can answer yes to those questions.

        • Students scores increase are the job of the students, parents and schools. what exactly does a “proven record of success” mean? He took the job for less pay than the man before him which we paid tax dollars for sooooooo….

  3. Ridiculous. What has he done to contribute to the growth and improvement of our schools? How about they put that 10k and flexible spending towards after-school tutoring programs…pay some teachers extra or give to food programs in schools so the kids are not hungry when they go home. They (Superintendent) can survive on his salary! Most of us citizens sure do on a lot less.

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