Lexington Superintendent Julie Hackett’s new six-year contract provides more than $350,000 annually in salary, allowances and retirement contributions, plus insurance benefits.

The School Committee approved the agreement Sept. 29, according to the Lexington Observer. It runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2032, adding one year to her previous five-year agreement.

The contract remained unsigned as of the Observer’s Oct. 16 report. Hackett told the publication that “no additional changes are anticipated.”

Hackett, who began leading Lexington Public Schools in 2018, is now in her ninth year with the district.

Compensation and benefits

The agreement lists a base salary of $319,037, a $2,000 annual disability insurance allowance and a $6,500 annual automobile allowance.

It also continues a deferred compensation contribution of $23,000, with increases tied to the percentage adjustments applied to her salary, subject to IRS limits.

An additional $4,000 annual catch-up contribution applies from fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2031. The contract says that payment recognizes that Hackett received no deferred compensation contributions before fiscal 2026.

Those listed amounts total $354,537 before any adjustment to the deferred compensation contribution and before health, life, dental and other benefits.

Future base salary increases will match the percentage granted to the town’s nonunion employees, with annual School Committee review and approval.

Approval follows staffing cuts

The agreement comes during a difficult budget period for Lexington Public Schools.

In March, the district announced plans to eliminate approximately 65 full-time-equivalent positions for fiscal 2027 and issued non-renewal notices to all 160 employees without professional teacher status, Boston.com reported.

Those notices did not represent 160 permanent layoffs. Lexington Education Association President Robin Strizhak said at the time that most recipients were expected to return.

The district cited declining enrollment and rising costs for salaries, benefits, transportation and special education as drivers of its budget gap.

“We have not seen cuts like this since the early 90s,” Strizhak told Boston.com.

Resident questions public scrutiny

In an Oct. 13 letter to the Observer, resident Jeanne DeSanto called the agreement “extraordinarily rich in terms of dollars and duration” and argued that it deserved broader public discussion.

The Sept. 29 School Committee agenda listed a vote on the superintendent’s contract under new business.