The new superintendent of Brown County Schools will be announced by the end of this month during a special meeting on Thursday, July 22.

The school board received 11 applications for the job, interviewed six in closed meetings, then narrowed it down to four for second interviews. School board President Carol Bowden said the decision was unanimous.

She would not comment about whether the candidates interviewed were current employees in Brown County Schools or from outside the district due to confidentiality issues.

Bowden said she is looking forward to working with the new superintendent. “They were fun to interview,” she said. “I heard a genuine and nice person during the interviews.”

The school board worked with the Indiana School Boards Association on the search.

The contract proposed for the new superintendent is published in the legal notices in this week’s Marketplace section, and it will be discussed in the next school board meeting on Thursday, July 15. That meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the high school.

The contract is similar to the one former superintendent Laura Hammack was hired under in 2016. Hammack left the district at the end of the school year to serve as superintendent for Beech Grove schools.

The new superintendent’s salary is $120,000. Hammack’s was $125,000 when she was hired.

The contract term is Aug. 2, 2021 to June 30, 2024. It is automatically extended each year after unless written notice is given on or before June 30 that a party does not agree to the automatic extension.

The contract includes a range of benefits such as an annual performance stipend or base salary increase. The new superintendent will receive the same number of paid days that are provided to other “central office administrators.”

Health, vision and dental insurance along with life insurance and long-term disability will also be offered. The district will cover the all costs except for $1 for health, dental and vision insurance and long-term disability. The superintendent will contribute $1 each year to the term life insurance policy premium.

The school district will pay an additional $20,000 that the superintendent “may, but need not, elect to be contributed” to a retirement plan for each year of employment. The board also will contribute to the Indiana State Teacher’s Retirement Fund on behalf of the new superintendent.

The superintendent will receive a stipend for a business cellphone of at least $1,200. Mileage associated with business travel using a personal vehicle will also be paid.

The new superintendent can also transfer all unused sick leave days from their previous job.

The school board approved hiring Jim Halik as interim superintendent in May. Halik started on June 1 and will leave once a new superintendent is officially hired.

The proposed contract will be voted on July 22 at 6 p.m., in the same meeting where the new superintendent will be announced.