Pa. senators target school superintendent buyouts

A bill is on the move in the Pennsylvania state Senate that would limit the value of buyouts for public school superintendents.

The bill approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee also would require that the severance packages are detailed upfront in contracts, not negotiated later by school boards.

The bill comes on the heels of high-profile superintendent buyout agreements in Philadelphia, Allentown and other districts that Education Committee Chairman Jeff Piccola says are costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

The state’s elected fiscal watchdog, Auditor General Jack Wagner, has criticized the buyouts as a waste of money and often lacking in transparency.

The bill also would require the contracts to include performance standards, such as student achievement on standardized tests.