The Grants Pass SD 7 board approved the superintendent’s employment contract after discussion about contract language, automatic-extension (rollover) provisions and the timing of the annual evaluation.

Board members reviewed several contract provisions, including insurance and liability language, confidentiality, return of district property on termination, and a suggestion to add mediation before litigation as a dispute-resolution step. One member said the contract’s current automatic-extension language could leave the district without a timely decision if the board misses its self-imposed evaluation deadline.

“March 15 is the date teachers get their notices — that’s where that came from,” a member said when the March 15 evaluation deadline was discussed. Several directors said their experience is that meeting the March 15 deadline can be difficult; some suggested December 31 as a more practical target to allow sufficient time for a search or contract decisions.

Legal counsel reviewed the draft contract prior to the meeting, directors said; the board debated edits and agreed that the contract should be revisited in a workshop format in the coming months to clarify rollover language and other template items. A motion to approve the contract passed by roll call.

Board members asked staff to place contract-template review on a future workshop agenda and to discuss possible adjustments with legal counsel so that future contracts better fit the board’s schedule for evaluations and potential searches.