Portland school board renews superintendent's contract

The Portland school board has renewed the contract of Superintendent Xavier Botana for three years.

Botana’s salary of $148,000 will remain unchanged, but terms of his deal have were tweaked to give the school system more long-term stability at its top leadership role, the district said in a statement.

Under the new terms, Botana would have to give the district one year notice that he intends to leave, up from 90 days, and in return, the district would pay him a full year salary as severance, instead of six months’ worth, if he is asked to resign.

The new contract begins July 1, 2019 and ends June 30, 2022.

Botana, 56, was hired July 1, 2016. His contract renew comes after a performance evaluation that began in August and spanned 15 categories.

Since arriving in Maine, Botana has implemented a system-wide program, Portland Promise, that aims to prepare students to graduate high school and be successful in further education or career options.

Before he came to Portland, Botana was the associate superintendent of the Michigan City Area Schools in Indiana.