The Panther Valley School Board decided to keep its school superintendent and business manager for a few more years.

The board renewed a five-year contract with Superintendent David McAndrew Jr., and a three-year contract with Jesse Walck, business manager.

Both men were hired in 2020.

McAndrew, who came from the Jim Thorpe Area School District where he worked for 19 years, started at Panther Valley at a salary of $98,000.

He is currently making $115,000, which is about $21,000 less than the average superintendent salary in similarly sized schools in the area.

According to a comparison provided to the board, superintendent salaries and district enrollments in the region include: Palmerton, $145,000 a year and 1,684 in enrollment; Lehighton, $132,000, 2,216; Jim Thorpe, $135,000, 1,834; Mahanoy, $139,958, 1,023; and Shenandoah, $125,725, 1,086.

Panther Valley’s enrollment is 1,866.

McAndrew thanked the board for having faith in him and allowing him the opportunity to continue to lead the district.

“I’m honored to work with a great board, an amazing staff and the best administration team,” he said. “We put kids first here, and that’s what the Panther family is all about. So, thank you.”

Walck, whose contract was also renewed, started at Panther Valley at a salary of $75,000. He is currently making $85,000 a year, which is $30,000 less than the average salary for a business manager in the area, according to a similar comparison.

Walck also expressed his thanks to the board in renewing his contract.

Both men will see 3% increases in salary for each year of their contracts, which run through June 30, 2028 for McAndrew, and June 30, 2026 for Walck.

Walck noted after the meeting that staggering the contracts was a good move on the part of the board, as it minimizes the impact of having to replace both positions in the same year.