Superintendent signs four-year contract

Mary Pierczynski signed a contract Tuesday committing herself to four more years as superintendent of the Carson City School District.

"First of all, it gives the school district some stability, and you have to do that in this kind of job," she said. "It also obviously gives me some stability for the next four years."

Board members also raised Pierczynski's salary by 2.5 percent, the same raise given to all school employees over the last year.

The raise will augment her salary from $96,455 to $98,866 annually. The new contract will reflect the adjusted salary.

Some board members expressed regret at not being able to offer Pierczynski and other employees a more substantial raise.

"As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Pierczynski is worth her weight in gold," said trustee Bob Crowell. "If I had the gold, I'd give it to her."

Pierczynski was appointed superintendent on July 1, 2001, after serving as associate superintendent of human resources.

She taught for six years in her home state of North Carolina. After working for 10 years in the business world, returned to education 16 years ago in Carson City.

She said her experience in both the education and business fields helps her succeed in her job. She is pleased with the board member's feedback.

"I'm very happy that they're happy with the work we're doing here at the district," she said. "That, to me, is important."

And she's happy to be able to remain in the position.

"I really enjoy this kind of work," she said. "Plus this is home for me. This is my community."

Trustee Norm Scoggin was pleased with the contract negotiations.

"We're looking forward to four more years of really terrific education in Carson City," he said.

Board members also voted to give all district officials a 2.5 percent raise in salary.