The Willow Run school board unanimously approved the contract of interim Superintendent Laura Lisiscki on Thursday night, nearly a year after Lisiscki assumed the role.

Lisiscki took over in November 2009 after Dr. Doris Hope-Jackson took a leave of absence. Hope-Jackson has since been demoted to an administrative position and has been on paid leave since February.

Lisiscki said she looked forward to continuing to work on the district’s issues with the board.

“We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “We’re going to keep moving forward, and we’re not going to stop.”

The contract was approved to run from July 1 until June 30, 2011. Lisiscki will be paid $120,000 over the course of the contract.

The district has been holding hearings with Hope-Jackson throughout the summer to officially dismiss her from her position. The board is expected to make a decision on Hope-Jackson's future at a meeting on Tuesday.

After the vote on Lisiscki's contract was taken, a number of district administrators began applauding and ran to the front of the board room to shake Lisiscki’s hand and present her with roses. Bert Emerson, interim director of finance and operations, gave Lisisicki a fist bump as she was making her remarks.

Board President Sheri Washington said she was happy for Lisiscki and hoped the decision would lead to brighter days for the district.

“It will take teamwork, both internal and external, to turn this thing around,” she said.

Lisiscki also updated the board on the district’s attempt to receive a School Improvement Grant from the state of Michigan. The SIG is available to high schools ranked in the bottom 5 percent in the state.

The district didn't receive any funding in the initial round of grants, which were announced today, but Lisiscki said it can still receive funding in the second round and will retool its application. She said she doesn’t know when the second round of funding will occur.