Sampson County Schools superintendent Dr. Ethan Lenker was granted a contract extension through June 30, 2013 after a unanimous vote by the Sampson County Board of Education earlier this week.

The vote came after a lengthy closed-door session that included discussion about contract renewal for administrators.

The Lenker item, listed as attachment “F,” was voted on unanimously by the board; the contract renewal for administrators’ vote, listed as attachment “E,” was more divided. It passed 4-2, with the dissenting votes coming from board members G.H. Wilson and Glenn Tart. Contracts for the 15 administrators, as well as Lenker, will run from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2013.

When asked why the board decided to up Lenker’s contract now as opposed to closer to the end of the two-year contract he was given when he was hired on May 19, 2008, Wilson said it was a matter of getting on the administrator’s “cycle.”

“We have to give him an evaluation every year,” he said. “The board decided that instead of waiting until next year, we should go ahead and allow him to be on the same four-year cycle as the other administrators. It is showing him the confidence we have in him as a leader.”

Wilson said in his first year, Lenker has done an “outstanding job” in his position.

“He is visible in the schools, he is everywhere throughout the county,” Wilson said. “He is just a good educational leader for this school system and he has never wavered from that. I think that he has done an outstanding job for us.”

Wilson also said that the board wanted to make a statement to other administrators.

“When this came up for discussion, the board just felt like we shouldn’t wait another year to decide this,” he said. “The superintendent should have the security of being here another four years. We wanted to make sure that the administrators and the teachers would know that we have the confidence in him and give them assurances that he will be here to lead them.”

Lenker, who beat out 22 other candidates for the job, came to Sampson County Schools from Jones County Schools, where he had previously worked the past four and a half years as superintendent. At that time, he was given a unanimous vote to be hired with an aggregate annual salary of $120,000.00 a year ($10,000 per month).

Wilson said that with a contract extension, no monetary issues were discussed.

“We just talked about making sure to extend his contract for another four years,” Wilson said. “It was at his same salary ...”

When asked about his dissenting vote on the approval of the other administrators’ contract renewals, Wilson declined to discuss it in depth.

“It is nothing against anyone,” he said. “There were just a few things that I had concerns with, but I would rather not comment on it.”

On that list of 15 are five assistant principals, four principals, a coordinator, four directors and an assistant superintendent.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.