The Manatee County School Board unanimously extended Superintendent Cynthia Saunders’ contract at a special meeting Thursday evening.
The board, after more than an hour of debate and another 45 minutes of public comment, added two years to Saunders’ existing contract, which now will expire in June 2023. Her $196,000 salary will remain unchanged.
“I appreciate the support of the board and the staff,” Saunders said. “The only reason we’re successful is because we all work together.”
Saunders’ was awarded her current contract in 2019. The contract was due to expire June 30, 2021, but includes a clause that she be notified by the end of this year if the board intended to renew it.
Marion County s top teacher continues quest for science lab equipment
Vanguard High science teacher Euan Hunter’s mission to buy equipment for a districtwide state-of-the-art science lab at the Silver River Museum continues nearly a year after the Scotsman won Marion County Teacher of the Year honors.
On Jan. 24, Hunter was named Marion County’s top educator at the 30th annual Golden Apple Gala. With that honor, Hunter received a three-year lease to a new Hyundai Sonata from Jenkins Auto Group.
Hunter asked Jenkins Auto Group to donate the $10,000 value of the lease toward Silver River laboratory equipment. He sacrificed free use of a car for three years to help fund his dream for the Silver River lab.
Manatee County’s School Board will meet Thursday to decide whether to add two years to superintendent Cynthia Saunders contract. The extension, if approved, would keep Saunders in her current role until June 30, 2023.
If the board fails to renew Saunders’ contract Thursday, it could try again before June. But that could be complicated, said School Board Chairman Charlie Kennedy.
For one thing, if there is no extension before the end of the year, the board would have to begin the arduous process of finding a replacement for Saunders by June. And then there is the likelihood that Saunders would begin looking for employment elsewhere.