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The Coal City Community Unit School District 1 Board of Education has approved a new five-year contract for Superintendent Chris Spencer, set to run through his retirement. The decision was made at the board's meeting on December 3. Under the terms of the agreement, Spencer will receive an annual salary of $183,327 and a 6 percent credible earnings raise each year.
Spencer has worked in the district since 1998, starting as a Physical Education and Driver Education teacher at Coal City High School. He later served as part-time Dean of Students for both the high school and Coal City Middle School beginning in 2006. In 2010, he became principal of the Coal City Early Childhood Center, then principal of Coal City Elementary School in 2013. He returned to lead both schools in 2015 before moving back to Coal City High School as associate principal in 2018 and becoming principal in 2019. The Board appointed him Superintendent in 2022.
By the end of this contract, Spencer will have completed a 33-year career within the district.
After the board’s approval, Spencer stated: "I would like to thank the Board for its continued support and for all of the opportunities I have been given throughout my career." He added: "I am grateful to our District #1 administration, faculty, staff and community for their partnership and support throughout my tenure here. I appreciate being able to finish my career as Superintendent of Schools for Coal City."
Coal City Community Unit School District 1 serves Grundy and Will counties and includes several schools such as Coal City Early Childhood Center, Coal City Elementary School, Coal City High School, Coal City Intermediate School, and Coal City Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, there are currently 153 teachers employed by the district with an average salary of $69,297; about three-quarters are women (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student body is predominantly White at nearly 87 percent; Hispanic students make up about ten percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, per-student spending was $21,619 with total expenditures reaching over $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
