The future of Superintendent Dr. John Long's tenure in the Warren County R-III School District appears to be over following the 2010-2011 school year. The school board voted 4-3 to not extend his current contract by a year during a closed session held last Thursday, April 1. The motion also included freezing Long's annual salary for the next two school years, keeping it at $151,000. Long is currently in the second year of a three-year contract which ends June 30, 2011. His contract calls for a $6,000 increase to $157,000 effective July 1, 2010. He has been with the district since 2004. Board members Teresa Scott, Jan Sutherland, Bill Hawley and Beth Banze voted against the extension. Carmen Schulze, David Housewright and Dale Schowe voted to extend Long's contract. The motion to extend Long's contract was made by Schulze, with Housewright seconding it. The vote came after the school board reviewed a performance-based evaluation that sets goals and guidelines for superintendents. School board members didn't comment on the evaluation results. Long's tenure likely ends when his current contract expires June 30, 2011. "I told the board my strong preference was to work here going forward," Long said. "Without support, I was going to have to look for other work." While Long's future appears uncertain, board members who voted against the extension said they were not opposed to revisiting the issue. "There's some differences that need to be resolved and they haven't been yet," Scott said. "We need to work toward resolving some issues." She declined to elaborate on what those "issues" were, saying it was a personnel matter. Sutherland said she was dissatisfied that the vote was made at this particular time, saying the motion should never had been made. "John is a good financial superintendent, but there are still issues that need to be resolved in the governance area," Sutherland said. "I wanted to see how that resolves itself before making any decisions." Banze also said he wanted to wait before taking any action on Long's contract. "I wasn't ready to vote," she said. "I didn't know we were going to vote." Schulze remarked the school board missed a chance to save $12,000 by not extending Long's contract. "I'm disappointed the board chose not to save money with the option to do so," she said. "For me, it was saving money and having someone who understood the finances to manage that." Schowe, the board president, said Long deserved more time than the year remaining on his current contract to meet goals set by the board. "Financially we're in a lot better shape than other districts," he said. "Hopefully we can get through this with the reserves. Long has made great strides with our facilities. I feel like it would be tough for a new superintendent to come in and learn our finances." If Long does leave Warrenton, he said the district is in better shape compared to when he first got here. He stated the reserves have been built up to a level that helped the district during the current recession. He also said facility upgrades have lessened crowding in schools and provided a comfortable learning environment with all being air conditioned. He added state test scores have increased in his time and personnel moves requested by the school board also were completed. "I was willing to trade freezing my salary for an extension," Long said. "Apparently the time has come and you have to do the same goals somewhere else." Prior to coming to Warrenton, Long spent two years as the superintendent in the Macon County R-I School District and was a middle school principal at Raytown Middle School outside of Kansas City. In Long's first year in the R-III district, he was earning $120,000. Long, who also teaches two doctoral program classes at Lindenwood University, said he will begin looking for superintendent jobs. "My wife and I have enjoyed being in Warrenton," Long said. "I have appreciated the support the community has shown the district. I appreciate that the public cares about the education of their schools."