Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools superintendent may retire next year

CHAPEL HILL -- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Neil Pedersen may retire next year.

Pedersen will finish his current four-year contract next summer and has not asked the school board to extend it. If he decides to retire, he will make an official announcement some time this month or early August to give the board as much time as possible to replace him.

Pedersen came to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in 1987 as assistant superintendent. He became superintendent five years later in 1992.

Pedersen turned 60 a few weeks ago, which he said is "one milestone in terms of the state retirement system." The next, he said, is attaining 25 years of service. He will reach that in the coming year through actual years of service combined with accumulated leave, which is allowed to be counted toward retirement service requirements.

Stephanie Knott, the assistant to the superintendent for community relations, confirmed that Pedersen's contract expires in 2011 and has not been extended.