Will he or won’t he?

Will Superintendent Konrad get a new five-year contract and a salary of $215,000 or won’t he? After Thursday night’s meeting, it’s anybody’s guess.

Mark Fitzgerald, the solicitor for the school district, explained that the intentions of the school board and Konrad at the Nov. 25 meeting was “to enter into a new five-year contract.” He then explained why Konrad’s resignation was even on the agenda.

“Dr. Konrad, unlike anybody else in this district, comes not just with an employment contract but a commission to the state, and if the district were to enter into a new contracting commission with him, he would have effectively have to resign his current commission, and that was the intent of the multiple action items for the 25th, a resignation from the current commission in contract to be then reappointed to a new five-year contract and commission. That’s why they were connected together,” Fitzgerald said.

Since the resignation was not accepted by the school board on Nov. 25 (it had been removed from the agenda), Konrad will continue to be the superintendent after Dec. 31, Fitzgerald said. The agenda item about his resignation stated it would be effective Dec. 31 with the new contract going into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, but the contract was also removed from the agenda.

After the meeting, Fitzgerald was asked when the special meeting concerning Konrad’s contract would be held. His reply was simply, “I don’t know.”

After further questioning, he said that only the school board can decide when they will have that meeting.

Susan Kresge, the president of the school board, said that she really doesn’t know when that meeting will be held. There aren’t any plans yet to have the meeting.

Kresge said that when they do, they will advertise the special meeting at least five days beforehand. She said the meeting would also have a presentation explaining why the school board was seeking to make a new five-year contract with Konrad.

Kresge confirmed that there is a special meeting coming up at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16, but it is for one topic only — the bids for the high school renovation project.