MARYSVILLE — Former Marysville School District superintendent Zachary Robbins will receive more than $400,000 over the next year following the school board’s vote to remove him from the position last week amid intense uncertainty in the district.
Under the severance agreement obtained Tuesday by The Daily Herald, the district will pay Robbins $29,150 per month through Oct. 31, 2025, subject to withholding for taxes and mandatory deductions. This includes his base salary, compensation for 15 supplemental days and benefit contributions.
The district will also provide Robbins and his family with health, dental and vision insurance until the same date. He will also have his accrued sick leave and vacation time cashed out at $1,526.36 per day. It’s unclear how many days Robbins had accrued.
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The payout also includes a lump sum of $50,000, set aside to pay for “moving expenses, job search travel and lodging expenses, attorney fees and expenses in securing new housing,” the agreement notes.
Robbins declined to take his full contract payout, the district said.
“The agreement between the District and Dr. Robbins was reached through mutual consent and in consultation with legal counsel,” district spokesperson Jodi Runyon said in an email Tuesday. “The Marysville School District is committed to a smooth transition and wishes Dr. Robbins well in his future endeavors.”
The district also agreed to defend Robbins and pay attorney fees in the event he is sued over actions taken while he was employed the district. In any lawsuit involving Robbins’ time as superintendent where he is a named party, the agreement said, he could select legal counsel — at a rate not to exceed $550 per hour.
In February, the school board voted to extend Robbins’ contract through June 2027.
Runyon said the district does not comment on the terms of individual employment contracts and would not provide further comment.
The district has been embroiled in financial trouble for years. Following two failed levy lifts, the district received an “alarming” audit from state auditors, after which the state placed it under enhanced financial oversight. A special administrator is now overseeing the district’s finances. That administrator, Arthur Jarvis, approved the severance agreement.
In September 2021, the district signed a settlement agreement with then-Superintendent Jason Thompson, enabling him to keep his job and salary without returning to work for the remainder of that school year. The district paid him $21,629.85 per month, plus benefits.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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