The County School Board voted 8-1 on Thursday night to approve a $194,000 contract for new superintendent Dr. Jim Scales of Dallas, Texas.

The board also voted a one-time payment of $50,000 to the new superintendent and agreed to pay up to $25,000 in moving expenses.

Dr. Scales will also get annual increases equivalent to teacher pay raises - dependent on favorable board evaluations.

Board member Rhonda Thurman voted against the pay package.

The current superintendent, Dr. Jesse Register, makes $150,000.

Board attorney Scott Bennett said the $50,000 payment could not be in the form of an annuity because that would violate state law.

The board discussed calling it "a signing bonus," but board member Everett Fairchild said, "The public will eat us up if we do that."

Board member Joe Conner, who negotiated the contract with Dr. Scales, said unnamed private interests had offered to cover the $50,000 as well as the moving expenses.

Dale Isabell, finance director, said the schools may be getting $500,000 to $600,000 in additional BEP funds from the state. He said that could be used to cover the $50,000 and the moving expenses.

Board members said they would decide later whether to accept the offer of the outside money.

Mr. Conner said there are "absolutely no strings attached to the gift."

Ms. Thurman said there "would be strings attached." She said, "The school system belongs to the taxpayers." She said the board should not proceed on the contract if the school system could not afford it.

Mr. Fairchild said he had problems with tying the superintendent's pay to annual teacher increases. He said, "This is going to come back to haunt us."

The board took a recess and Mr. Conner called Dr. Scales. The contract was amended to add the clause that the increase would be contingent on the favorable board evaluation.

Board member Debbie Colburn said the $194,000 was higher than she had aimed to pay, and she said she had problems with the outside contribution.

Janice Boydston noted that Dr. Scales currently makes $185,000 as a deputy superintendent and would be getting $9,000 more as the superintendent.

Board member Marty Puryear said, "There is no one in the world that my wife and I trust more than Joe Conner so I know it is a good contract."

Ms. Thurman said a number of teachers "resent" paying that amount to an outside person "when some teachers are still working out of a cart."