Coal City School District 1 Superintendent Chris Spencer has a new contract after the school board approved it last Tuesday, paying him $183,327 with a 6% raise each year over the next five years.

Spencer is expected to retire at the end of the contract, according to a news release.

Spencer has spent his entire teaching career within District 1, starting as a physical education and driver’s education teacher at the high school in 1998.

He transitioned to the role of part-time dean of students at both the high school and the middle school in 2006 and was appointed principal of the Coal City Early Childhood Center in 2010. He became principal of Coal City Elementary in 2013, and he led both the early childhood center and elementary school in 2015 before joining the high school as associate principal in 2018.

He became principal of the high school in 2019 and was named superintendent of schools in 2022.

Spencer thanked the board for its support, and he thanked the administration, staff, faculty and community for their partnership and support over the years.