The Clovis Board of Education voted during Tuesday’s meeting to extend Superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm’s contract with the school district to 2011.

The measure passed after a vote of 4-1, with Board Secretary Mark Lansford casting the dissenting vote.

Lansford, who has voted in the past in to extend Seidenwurm’s contract for two years, said he opposed the board’s practice of giving the superintendent a two-year contract because of the slow economy.

“I can see a multi-year contract for an employee if that employee brings specialized knowledge or talent to the table (such as Bill Gates with Microsoft or Steve Jobs with Apple),” he said.

He added that it would be hypocritical to give the superintendent a multi-year contract when the rest of the district’s employees receive one-year contracts.

The contract extension comes after the board’s annual superintendent evaluation. Seidenwurm took on the position in 2005.

Board president Lola Bryant declined comment on the board’s vote and the superintendent’s evaluation. Lansford also  declined comment on Seidenwurm’s evaluation.

“We (the four board members) just all agreed on it, that’s about it,” she said.

Seidenwurm receives a yearly salary of $138,700. She said a salary adjustment would come after the state legislative session when lawmakers finalize the state’s budget, which includes pay for school employees.

“I love Clovis, and I appreciate the board’s confidence in extending my contract. A superintendent always likes a 5-0 vote, but that simply doesn’t always happen,” she said. “So I’m glad the four of our board members have expressed the confidence to keep me here for another two years.”