NAZARETH, Pa. — The Nazareth Area School District will pay its outgoing superintendent nearly $110,000 to resign this October, according to district documents obtained by LehighValleyNews.com.
The payout to Richard Kaskey is spelled out in a separation agreement agreed upon by Kaskey and the school board Tuesday.
The payment is the equivalent of six months of salary and 25.75 days of accrued, unused vacation time, according to the document. For the 2024-25 school year, Kaskey would have earned $179,500 to lead the district.
The deal is consistent with the five-year contract Kaskey signed in 2022. He'll be on paid leave until his last day on Oct. 15, per the agreement.
"The school board extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Kaskey for his dedicated service and leadership during his tenure with the Nazareth Area School District and wishes Dr. Kaskey all the best in his future endeavors."Board President Linda Stubits
As part of the terms, Kaskey is barred from bringing a lawsuit against the district regarding his employment there. The two sides also agreed not to bring any legal claims against the other regarding Kaskey's tenure.
The agreement required the district to release a public statement approved by Kaskey regarding his departure. District staff and board members are required not to contradict it in public statements or if approached by Kaskey's potential future employers.
The Nazareth Area School Board approved the agreement by an 8-0 vote without releasing the terms of the deal.
Following the vote, Board President Linda Stubits said, "The school board extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Kaskey for his dedicated service and leadership during his tenure with the Nazareth Area School District and wishes Dr. Kaskey all the best in his future endeavors."
The document does not hint at any underlying motivations that led to Kaskey's departure. He had three years remaining on his contract, and the agreement certified that there are no investigations into Kaskey or any negative documentation about his job performance.
His tenure in Nazareth overlapped with a flash of culture war debates in the district.
Parents requested the district pass policies mandating that parents be notified if their children requested to change their pronouns at school. There was also a prolonged clash over efforts to ban controversial books from the public library.
Kaskey opposed efforts to remove books that tackled mature subject matters, some in graphic detail, including physical and sexual abuse, slavery and drug addiction. The decision drew the ire of the Northampton County chapter of Moms for Liberty.
The group bills itself as a political organization supporting traditional family values and quality education, but opponents have labeled it an antigovernment group seeking to undermine education and restrict LGBTQ+ rights. Three Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates were elected to the Nazareth Area School Board in 2023.
New administrative positions
After approving the separation agreement, the board voted to promote Assistant Superintendent Isabel Resende to the district's top administrative post effective Oct. 15. However, it did not release the terms of Resende's new contract at the time.
Documents obtained by LehighValleyNews.com show Resende will earn approximately $155,000 as superintendent for the 2024-25 school year from a prorated base salary of $205,000 plus a biweekly stipend of $1,250 from July 1 to Oct. 15.
Resende's contract includes a sweeter deal than Kaskey's should she and the board also mutually separate.
Instead of the six-month package Kaskey was awarded, Resende would earn a year's salary should she depart with more than two years remaining on her contract. If they mutually parted ways with less than two years remaining, she would be due half her remaining salary, according to her contract.
Two of Resende's top lieutenants also received new titles and raises.
Stewart Whiteleather, previously the district's business manager is due to receive a salary of about $181,488 in 2024-25, is now the district's chief operations officer. The new title comes with a 2024-25 salary of $200,000.
Similarly, Rosario "Rusty" Amato Jr. went from being the district's director of human resources to its chief personnel officer. His salary will increase from $152,400 this year to $170,000, according to district documents.
District documentation shows Whiteleather is not taking on additional duties with his higher title or salary. A list of the HR director's duties in 2023, the year Amato signed his previous contract, was not immediately available, but a review of the 2022 duties is nearly identical to Amato's duties in his new five-year contract.
