The newly-hired interim Bayport-Blue Point school superintendent will also be serving as a consultant for the Three Village School District during July and August, Patch has learned.
Neil Lederer, who served as the fulltime interim school chief in Three Village for the past two years at an annual salary of $200,000 with no health benefits, will start his work for both districts as of July 1, splitting his workweek between the two districts.
Bayport-Blue Point will be paying Lederer $1,025 per day while Three Village will pay him $800 per day. He will be paid only for the days he works in each district and his workdays will not overlap, said Lederer and officials with both school districts.
Lederer recently signed a one-year contract with Bayport-Blue Point, with a guarantee of four months of employment. According to Syntax Communications, which serves as the public relations firm for both school districts, he also has an as-needed consulting deal with Three Village for July and August.
“There will be no conflict,” Lederer told Patch. “People will jump right away to the double-dipping thing. Both jobs are on a per diem basis. Obviously if I was in a [fulltime salary] contract it would be different."
He continued, "The Bayport board knows that I have a commitment to Three Village. I will not be in Three Village as much as what had been agreed to [initially when the agreement was approved by the Three Village Board a few months ago]. There will never be a day when I will be working in both districts. Bayport is OK with that. I shared that early on."
However, Bayport-Blue Point Board of Education President Jim March told Patch he was not aware of the specific agreement with Three Village. He said the Bayport-Blue Point Board of Education negotiated its rate with Lederer based on current rates paid to interim school chiefs on Long Island.
“We presented a number [regarding rate negotiations], he countered and we came to the rate. It was clear he would not work for $800 a day,” said March, alluding to the Three Village rate Lederer will be receiving this summer.
“I don’t know what the Three Village rate involves, maybe a shorter workday or because it’s a transition role,” March said, adding that initial plans call for Lederer to work two days a week in Bayport-Blue Point during July, then fulltime starting in August.
“We know he has other obligations and worked it out that he would be in a minimum number of days during July,” March said.
The Bayport-Blue Point BOE president said Lederer will work all four days a week at B-BP in August when the district has shorter workweeks.
Lederer told Three Village Patch he expects to work three days in B-BP and two in Three Village in July.
However, in an e-mail to Patch, Syntax provided another workweek scenario for Lederer.
“The Three Village Board has asked Mr. Lederer to make himself available, if necessary, to provide assistance to the new superintendent in that district on the days he will not be in Bayport-Blue Point. He would only be functioning as a consultant to the district; he would not longer have any formal title or role. He currently has no scheduled days of work for Three Village. It will only be if they have a specific need,” Syntax stated in the e-mail.
In regard to Bayport-Blue Point, Syntax said Lederer will be working Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the month of July.
“This allows him to assist the Three Village transition, if asked, on Thursdays and Fridays during this month,” states the email, which also notes that in August Lederer plans to work the full four-day summer workweek in B-BP and possibly assist Three Village on Fridays.
Lederer told Patch that he took on the Bayport-Blue Point interim job for several reasons.
"The desire to still stay active as I don’t do idleness well. Bayport-Blue Point has a tremendous reputation. I know the superintendent there does an outstanding job. It’s for a relatively short piece of time. I’ll be active in their search for a new superintendent. It’s an attractive district that I was interested in,” he said.
Lederer’s is for one year, with a guarantee of four months of employment, which would be through October 30.
Lederer gets 10 paid sick days as part of the agreement, said March, but no more than five can be taken in the first six months of work.
March said he has a meeting set with Lederer and outgoing B-BP school chief Anthony Annunziato Monday to map out specific workdays and duties.
“We’re going to sit down and talk about duties and create a game plan on when he needs to be here and attendance at various events and meetings during the summer,” said March.
March said Lederer is scheduled to be at B-BP two full days in the next two weeks, at no pay, to help Annunziato as he transitions out of his seven-year role before as of August 1.
