CALUMET CITY | Officials with Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215 this week authorized a three-year contract extension for the superintendent, ensuring he will remain on the district's payroll through 2013.

The School Board unanimously approved the extension for Creg E. Williams, whom the district hired in March 2007 after his previous work with Chicago Public Schools and the Philadelphia school system and a controversial one-year stint as superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools.

He resigned from the St. Louis district in 2006 due to philosophical disagreements with other school officials. But District 215 School Board President Debbie Waitekus said appointing Williams has worked out well for the south suburban high school district.

"We're glad to have him," she said. "We want to keep him here."

The School Board approved the extension 7-0 on Tuesday without any debate.

Officials previously had discussed the issue throughout the summer when they met privately in executive session.

Williams, a Chicago native, said he is glad he'll be staying at District 215 and looks forward to trying to make further improvements in the district's educational quality.

Among evidence of improvement are the district's latest state test scores. The district showed increases in reading and math scores.

"We need to make those gains three years consecutive to get off the (Illinois State Board of Education) 'watch list,' and that is my priority," Williams said.

Officials would not say what Williams' salary will be during the contract extension, but Williams admits he will receive a pay increase.

"Everybody gets a raise," he said. "That's the way extensions work."

In other personnel news, the district hired Matthew Petitti as a math teacher and Tanika Brown as a dean's assistant at TF South, while Janet Lunn and Lenzi Murray were hired as paraprofessionals in special education and science, respectively, at TF North.

The School Board also approved hiring 12 other teachers to work as substitutes throughout the academic year at the two high schools.