SUFFERN ‒ Former SUNY Rockland Community College President Lester Edgardo Sandres Rápalo got $175,000, plus a payout for 24 unused vacation and 4.5 sick days, in a deal to leave his leadership post, according to a settlement obtained by lohud via a Freedom of Information request. The lump-sum compensation was roughly 70% of his $250,000 base salary.
Rápalo left the college June 6. A June 7 statement from RCC Board of Trustees President Martin Wortendyke confirmed that the college and Rápalo “have agreed to part ways.” No further details were given.
Amid Rápalo's brief and rocky tenure, he instituted staff and faculty cuts and furloughs, and fee hikes and program cuts, to tackle a “recurring” deficit estimated around $4 million. Several college groups, including the faculty union and Student Government Association, issued “no confidence” statements.
On the same day Rápalo departed RCC, his chief of staff, Irene Delgado, also left. She had been hired October 2023 at a base salary of $160,000. A Freedom of Information request for Delgado’s separation agreement was denied; the college stated it could not find such a document.
Beth Coyle, who had retired in 2023 as RCC's vice president of operations, has been made Officer in Charge.
No badmouthing each other
Rápalo was to receive all payments within 30 days of the settlement. Rápalo is also responsible for any tax payments or penalties.
The $175,000 added up to more compensation than required for a termination; his June 2023 contract specified a six-month salary equivalent in case of a termination.
A termination with cause, including illegal or immoral conduct or acts that would be seen as prejudicial to the college, would result in no separation compensation.
Rápalo got to keep a phone and computer/tablet purchased for him by the college, according to the settlement. In his original employment contract, Rápalo was allowed a phone, valued at up to $1,000 and a computer/tablet of his choice valued at up to $1,500.
As is standard in such separation agreements, Rápalo and college officials generally agreed not to make legal claims against each other; in cases of certain complaints and actions that cannot legally be restricted, Rápalo can’t gain any monetary benefit if he pursued such claims.
“Nothing contained in this Agreement will constitute or be treated as an admission by any of the PARTIES of liability, any wrongdoing, or any violation of law,” the settlement states.
The parties agreed to confidentiality, including not discussing the settlement with media. College officials also agree to provide a “neutral reference” to any prospective employer.
Rápalo also agreed not to seek employment from RCC or Rockland County for 10 years.
The pay and the perks for a president
Rápalo was hired with a five-year contract, beginning July 1, 2023. Beyond his $250,000 base pay, he could receive a yearly 12.5% merit bonus; he would have been eligible for the first bonus on July 1, 2024. An addendum to the original contract was issued in July to make clear that the bonus amount would not be added to Rápalo's base salary for future years.
Rápalo, with multiple advanced degrees including an MBA, was touted at his hiring for his business and educational acumen. Rápalo, who was born in Honduras, speaks Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. RCC is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic Serving Institution.
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Rápalo's contract provided up to $1,000 a month for a vehicle lease and another $1,800 a month as a commuter allowance.
Rápalo could also receive an up to $3,000-a-month housing allowance if he resided in Rockland, or the college could help buy a property where he would live but the college would own. If Rápalo chose to live outside Rockland, he could be reimbursed up to $12,000 annually for hotel expenses.
Rápalo was RCC’s eighth president. He succeeded Michael Baston, who left mid-contract in July 2022 to take another community college presidency in Ohio.
RCC is one of 30 community colleges in the SUNY system. New York's two-year colleges, which put their focus on associate's degrees, workforce development and certification programs, are supposed to derive a third of their funding from SUNY, a third from their home county and a third from student tuition. The state's portion has lagged and at RCC and many other campuses, tuition has become a bigger slice of the funding pie.
RCC is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees comprised of five Rockland County Legislature appointees and four governor appointees, plus a student-elected representative.
Meanwhile, the college continues with staffing cuts amid a deficit.
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