Ozark extends superintendent contract

SBJ file photo

Chris Bauman will work at least through the 2023-24 academic year.

The Ozark School District Board of Education voted to extend the contract of Superintendent Chris Bauman.

The three-year contract extension was approved at the board's Jan. 21 meeting. Bauman, who will work at least through the 2023-24 academic year, became the district's superintendent in 2018. His annual salary is $167,272, according to the release.

“He’s proven that he’s a team leader who is getting us through the COVID-19 pandemic,” board President Aaron Johns said in the release. “He’s also kept us financially on track, continuing to provide a good audit.”

Bauman recently led the district to garner a clean audit report from KPM CPAs PC. The district has received clean independent audit reports for more than a decade.

Bauman's three-year contract represents the longest extension a school board may offer under Missouri law, according to the release.

“Over the last year, we have experienced many challenges; however, we’ve also experienced many opportunities to shift our thinking and strengthen our school district," he said in the release. "I look forward to continuing this work to ensure Ozark School District remains one of the top school districts within the state."