New London ― The Board of Education extended Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie’s tenure with the district another year on Monday, lengthening her rolling three-year contract through June 30, 2027.

The contract extension was the second within six months unanimously approved by the board. But unlike the November extension, it did not come with a raise as Ritchie did not ask for one, board President Elaine Maynard-Adams said on Tuesday.

Ritchie, a former East Hartford assistant school superintendent who was hired in 2018 to succeed former Superintendent Manuel Rivera, was given a 2% pay bump in November of 2023, raising her annual salary to $194,077.

Ritchie said she declined to ask for another raise as “money is tight” in the district.

“I’m happy to continue doing the work and serving the community,” she said.

The evaluation format used by the board is based on the Connecticut Superintendents Leadership Competency Framework, which scores a subject in eight categories such as the alignment of resources, student success and collaboration to gauge leadership effectiveness.

Most board members met in small groups with Ritchie ahead of Monday’s vote, as they worked to have the agreement in place by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. One more face-to-face meeting with Ritchie was scheduled for Tuesday.

“It’s not a process I particularly like and I’m going to suggest another way of doing it next time,” Maynard-Adams said. “But we board members dialogue all the time and if anybody had any issues with the superintendent that would have come up. And it didn’t.”

The evaluation documents were not available for review as of Tuesday morning.

Ritchie said she recently compiled a list of her “top proudest” district accomplishments of the past year, including the earning of five national awards; garnering the state’s support to expand the magnet school configuration into the C.B Jennings International Elementary School; and opening a new welcome center at Shaws Cove.

Ritchie also lauded the success of early childhood and year-round programming and the introduction of a new grade 5 option at the Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Campus.

“That tells me our work is making an impact,” Ritchie said.

Board member changes

Monday’s board meeting marked the last for member Bryan Doughty, whose resignation is effective Sunday. Doughty, who runs a sheet music printing company with a global clientele, said it became difficult to balance his work and board responsibilities.

“I was just running out of hours,” he said, calling his nearly five-year board tenure “one of the most rewarding endeavors of my life.”

The all-Democrat board on Monday appointed Karen Bergin as Doughty’s replacement. Bergin, who moved to the city five years ago, previously served on the Bolton school board for more than 20 years, Maynard-Adams said.

j.penney@theday.com