A Long Island school superintendent has resigned amid a grade-changing scandal — but will be paid more than a half-million dollars to do nothing for the next two years, officials said yesterday.
The stunning pay-not-to-stay deal given to South Country Central School District boss Joe Cipp Jr. is the latest development in the sordid saga rocking the Suffolk County district.
Cipp, a legendary former Bellport HS football coach, was blamed in an independent investigation for pressuring staff to make sure student and football player Ryan Sloan got a scholarship to play at Syracuse University.
The probe found that Sloan’s grades were improved at the behest of school administrators.
Sloan’s 2010 grades were changed from D’s to C’s and B’s in geometry, algebra, physical education and health, according to investigators.
Cipp, 63, this week sent his written resignation, which the school board accepted 5-3 at a meeting Wednesday night.
He did not attend the meeting — but his son and current Bellport head football coach, Joseph Cipp III, was ejected after an angry confrontation with a board member.
Cipp will receive a windfall lump-sum retirement payment of $545,280, representing his salary until May 2014 — when his employment contract expires — officials said.
School board President Victor Correa justified the sweet payout by claiming that a legal fight to deny the ex-superintendent the remainder due him on his contract would have cost even more.
Cipp’s lawyer, Richard Hamburger, said: “He did nothing wrong . . . He didn’t change any grades. He didn’t encourage anyone to change any grades.
“He resigned because it was impossible for him to do his job,” Hamburger said.
“He put the interests of the students first.”
Cipp was the county’s winningest coach ever.
Sloan, a Syracuse freshman, was on the football team last season but did not play.