Board of Education extends superintendent’s contract

Guthrie Public Schools Board of Education extended the contract of Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson on Monday evening.

The new agreement will keep the top school official under contract for three years. The current contract was set to expire in June 2019.

The lone revision to the contract was the extension through June 30, 2021.

“The BOE wanted to recognize the positive leadership that Dr. Simpson brings to the district and our community by extending his contract another three years,” BOE President Travis Sallee said in a message to Guthrie News Page.

The contract, for Logan County’s largest employer, states Simpson will continue to receive the same base salary as previous years.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Simpson’s total compensation package, including medical, health, dental, vision and hospitalization coverage totals $149,383.

The school board may review and increase the superintendent’s base salary ($124,976) when it deems appropriate.

Simpson is now in his sixth year with the school district after being hired in July 2012.

“Dr. Simpson has assembled a terrific team of administrators, teachers and staff and we are committed to supporting them,” Sallee added.

In 2015, Simpson helped spearhead a successful $16.2 million bond issue, which was the largest dollar amount for the district. In that election – which saw nearly a third of eligible voters casting their vote – succeeded by the largest margin (77 percent) since 1977.

“Dr. Simpson is a tireless advocate for our district and genuinely cares about the success of our students and staff. As we near completion of the new school and other capital improvements, we look forward to supporting his continued vision to grow the district and our students,” Sallee concluded with.