VIDALIA, La. – The Concordia School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to extend Dr. Lester &uot;Pete&uot; Peterman superintendent contract for the next three years.

&uot;I think everybody is very pleased with the way he’s handling the school system,&uot; said board member, Darrell Crofford.

Board President Mike Grantham said he thought Peterman has been doing a good job of looking out for the interests of the students, the school district and the school board.

The board hired Peterman as superintendent in 1999. Since that time, Grantham said he thinks the school board has become more &uot;fiscally minded.&uot;

&uot;We try to save what we can but still fund the level of education that the students deserve,&uot; Grantham said.

Peterman earns a base salary of $67,500. At his own request he will not receive a raise with the extension of his contract unless state or local funds provide an across the board raise for administrators.

&uot;It’s not a good time for a raise when the employees are hurting and the economy’s in bad shape,&uot; Peterman said.

Peterman also thanked the school board for their assistance during his two years as superintendent.

&uot;I thank them for their support and being patience with me and giving my leadership style a chance to be successful,&uot; Peterman said.

His extended contract will last from July 1, 2001 to June 3, 2004.

In other business Tuesday, Peterman announced that the district added two school days to its 2000-01 calendar to make up for a two days students missed last week due to a teacher sick-out.

Concordia Parish students will attend school on May 31 or June 1 with exam schedules adjusted accordingly.

After some discussion, the board also voted to reject a $423,000 bid from a Pascagoula, Miss. company to replace to roof at Vidalia Upper Elementary School.

The board only received the one bid on the project and it was more than $200,000 higher than the project estimate.

The board discussed the matter to determine if it would be easier to negotiate with the contractor if the bid was only taking under advisement.

&uot;If you reject it now they’re not going to be particularly motivated to discuss the reason why it’s so high,&uot; said Joseph Brocato, project architect.

A motion to take the bid under advisement failed for lack of the second so board member Ricky Riley told the board they should just reject the bid

&uot;I make a motion we reject the bid,&uot; Riley said. &uot;I think it’s ridiculous.&uot;

Brocato said he plans to research into any abnormalities in the bid package which may have prevented other companies from submitting bids.

The board also awarded a $37,823 bid to buy for Ferriday High School band uniforms provided it meets specifications.

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