BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Southwestern Illinois College’s governing board has extended the contract of the school’s president and signed off on a nearly million-dollar contract toward design of a new early childhood center. The Belleville News-Democrat reported that the college board agreed that Georgia Costello will be paid more than $168,000 in each additional year of the contract. Costello has headed the school since 2008 and is the wife of former longtime congressman Jerry Costello. The average yearly salary of 39 community college presidents across Illinois is roughly $198,000. It’s unclear how soon the childhood center may be built. The project includes a $6.1 million in state funds.

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