Myriam Yarbrough, who starts her term as Baltimore County schools superintendent July 1, has a contract that’s largely similar to her predecessor’s — but with an added clause on how she’s expected to interact with the school board and the public.
Yarbrough, the current deputy superintendent, had her contract approved Tuesday night. Her salary of $310,000 is slightly higher than Superintendent Darryl Williams’, which is $301,716. She’ll be among the highest-paid superintendents in Maryland, according to 2022-2023 state data.
Her contract was posted online Wednesday afternoon.
“The board and the superintendent shall meet no later than August 25, 2023, to discuss and agree upon the processes and procedures for how they will work together and communicate effectively with each other,” the document stated.
In the meeting, board members will also go over how the superintendent should communicate with students, staff, families and the rest of the community about the school system in meetings, social media posts and interviews with media outlets.
County Council members, schools staff and parents have previously criticized Williams’ communication and said they want more of it from their next superintendent. For Yarbrough, communication will be an annual performance measure.
Yarbrough’s evaluation was defined in the contract in much more detail than Williams’. It spelled out that academic growth, state assessments, graduation rates and attendance rates will be among Yarbrough’s performance measures. She’ll be evaluated every year, as was Williams. She can also give a self-appraisal to the board to consider before she’s evaluated, which wasn’t offered in Williams’ contract.
According to Yarbrough’s four-year agreement, she will have annual 2% cost-of-living increases. Her salary will be $316,200 for her second year, $322,524 in her third and $328,974 in her fourth year. Williams started at $290,000 when he took the job in 2019.
The school system will reimburse Yarbrough for her contributions to the state pension or retirement system. It won’t exceed 5% of her salary. Williams had the same clause in his contract.
The board provided Williams a car, according to his contract. However, Yarbrough has the option to use the car the board provides or receive $865 per month to go toward her own car, insurance, fuel and maintenance.
If Yarbrough decides to leave her job before her contract expires, she must give the board 120 days’ notice. If not, she’ll have to pay $1,000 for every day outside the deadline. Williams had to give only 60 days’ notice and his contract did not mention a financial penalty.
Both were required to live in Baltimore County within one year of starting the job. Yarbrough was living in Prince George’s County at the time of her announcement. The board can choose to extend the moving deadline if they choose.
