MISSION VIEJO : School Supt. Given Contract Extension

Saddleback Valley Unified School District Supt. Peter A. Hartman has been given a one-year contract extension by the Board of Education.

Hartman had a four-year contract that was not due to expire until July 1, 1994, but as the board has done yearly since he was hired in 1983, it agreed to extend his contract by one year after he passed a performance evaluation. Most districts have similar agreements with their superintendents.

Hartman, who received a 3% raise earlier this year, will continue to receive $120,016 annually plus a $651 monthly car allowance.

Hartman said the security of a long-term contract allows him to make difficult decisions.

“When you are superintendent, the decisions you make are not always popular and it is easier to make those decisions if you have vocational security,” Hartman said.

Board President R. Kent Hann said Hartman has unanimous support from the five board members and is “one of the top half-dozen superintendents in the state and one of the top dozen in the nation.”

“We have long said that we want the best administrators and we pay them well, but we don’t have many of them,” Hann said.

The district could still fire Hartman, although it would have to buy out his contract if he was not fired for dishonesty in office or other “just cause.”

On the other hand, Hartman is bound to the district and cannot leave without the board’s permission.