The Bibb County school board has begun negotiations for a new contract for Superintendent Romain Dallemand, and the board could vote on the matter as soon as Monday.

That’s according to board member Gary Bechtel, who has just more than a month left in his term. Bechtel said Monday night’s closed-door board meeting dealt in part with Dallemand’s contract.

The negotiations began earlier this month, a source close to the matter said. Dallemand’s current contract will end on June 30, 2013, if the board takes no action to extend it.

Dallemand, who started work as superintendent of Bibb County schools in February 2011, makes an annual base salary of $198,000 plus benefits.

Bechtel and other board members would not reveal details of the ongoing negotiations.

Some current and incoming school board members previously told The Telegraph the decision of whether to extend the superintendent’s contract should be taken up after three new board members join the board in January, because they’ll work with Dallemand in the future. Thelma Dillard, Lester Miller and Jason Downey will replace the term-limited Tommy Barnes, Susan Middleton and Bechtel, respectively, on the eight-member board.

“You’re allowing a lame duck board to determine the leader of the district for the next number of years, and the new board should make the decision,” Bechtel said Tuesday.

Other board members, however, think the current board should make that decision, as they have been involved with Dallemand’s formal evaluation.

The board undertook Dallemand’s evaluation in the fall. While the superintendent’s contract stipulates that the board must evaluate his performance by Nov. 15 of every year, it was the board’s first formal evaluation of Dallemand in the more than 20 months he had been on the job.

While sources would not confirm how long the new contract could be, state law indicates school boards can offer superintendents contracts up to three years in duration.

To contact writer Andrea Castillo, call 744-4331.