Ed Dept. contract raises questions
The rate of pay was established by Callender and agreed to by the department, Cook said. The Education Department did not seek quotes from other contract workers for the services assigned to Callender, she said.
The contract also provides more than $800 to Callender, a former administrator at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, specifically to cover what would be the department’s matching contribution for Social Security and Medicare if he were a full time employee. All state agencies pay FICA for contract workers, said Chuck McIntosh, director of communications for the state Department of Finance and Administration.
The licensure commission, among other duties, hears cases involving educator misconduct and makes decision about those educators’ licenses depending on the outcome.
The contract specifies Callender will be paid an amount not to exceed $11,400, or $300/day, plus $4,500 for travel for work done between May 16 and June 30 of this year. An additional $872.10 is listed as “MDE’s matching contribution for Social Security and Medicaid (FICA).” If extended over a year, that rate of pay would total $78,000.
MS Today
6/22/16
Magnolia Tribune
