BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Bethlehem Area School District formally accepted Superintendent Joe Roy's resignation and hired assistant superintendent and chief academic officer Jack Silva for the role at Monday's board meeting.
Silva, a 1982 graduate of Liberty High School, will serve for a five-year term, from July 15, 2023 to June 30, 2028, starting at a salary of $220,000. He'll be eligible for a salary increase in July 2024 and each year after that. He'll also get 13 days of sick leave and 20 vacation days a year beginning on July 15, plus a monthly $350 vehicle allowance.
For the first year only, the district will pay $10,000 for executive coaching services for Silva.
- BASD Board of Directors approved Joe Roy's retirement and Jack Silva's appointment as superintendent
- Silva will earn $220,000 a year
- He will also receive executive coaching services in the first year
He will oversee the construction and renovation of three elementary schools, William Penn, Thomas Jefferson and Fountain Hill. William Penn is closed Monday and Tuesday this week due to a wall collapse on an exterior stairwell.
Silva said he'll strive for consistency moving forward.
"We have academic gaps caused by the pandemic to close," he said. "We have the challenge of meeting student support needs that always seem to increase. We want to further integrate our community and our community resources in our schools. I think overall you'll find more of the same, but maybe with some greater intensity."
Board President Michael Faccinetto said he's happy with the agreement.
"[Silva's] been one of the best hires we've ever made," he said.
"I think overall you'll find more of the same, but maybe with some greater intensity."Incoming BASD Superintendent Jack Silva
Roy has been the district superintendent for more than 10 years. His retirement takes effect in July. He and the school district are currently the subjects of a federal civil rights lawsuit that accuses Roy of punching a district employee at a football game last fall and behaving abusively toward other school personnel. It accuses the school board of failing to take appropriate action.
He was named Pennsylvania’s superintendent of the year in 2017. Roy also created an Office of Equity Initiatives at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
Roy currently earns $209,000 annually. His last contract extension, from 2019 to 2024, gave retirement perks such as a $1,000 payout for every year of administrative employment he spent in the Bethlehem Area School District. He gets paid for all the unused vacation and personal days and $150 per sick day up to 100 days.
