School Board Extends Contract Of Superintendent

The Oconee County Board of Education has extended the term of Superintendent Jason Branch’s contract for another years until June 30, 2024.

The Board took this action after its executive session at the end of its open work meeting on Aug. 2.

Deliberations in executive session are private, and the Board reconvened and held an open meeting for only one minute to vote unanimously to approve the new contract, which has an start date of July 1, 2021.

The contract calls for payment to Branch of an annual salary of $234,000, the same amount as in the contract approved by the Board on April 13, 2020, effective July 1, 2020.

Branch began serving as Oconee County Schools superintendent in 2012, and he had received a salary increase every year since 2015, according to state salary records.

Branch received an 11.3 percent increase in that April 2020 contract.

Board Chair Kim Argo and Tom Odom, chair when the new contract was approved on Aug. 2, would not comment on the new contract.

For more on the story, please go to Oconee County Observations.