Broward School Board members said Monday they would grant their long-serving attorney a two-year extension on his contract as they start their search for a replacement.

Ed Marko, 75, has been working under an employment agreement that ends Jan. 1, 2010. But board members agreed there was no way to find someone new before then -- and admitted they had dropped the ball by not starting the process of replacing him earlier.

``The R word of retirement right now is still not in my vocabulary,'' Marko said. ``I will share with you that I have the intellectual stamina, ability, understanding and health to continue to perform that service.''

Marko, who makes $216,000 a year, started working for the district as an outside contractor in 1968. Board members created the Office of General Counsel, which he still holds, in 1996.

Five board members at the workshop, including Kevin Tynan, who replaced suspended member Beverly Gallagher, said they would support the two additional years that Marko asked for. Gallagher was arrested in a federal corruption probe involving the district's construction program. She has pleaded not guilty.

Stephanie Kraft and Jennifer Gottlieb wanted to limit the extension to one year.

``We did work on this. We know that the time is eventually going to come,'' Gottlieb said. ``We can't keep granting extensions after extensions after extensions.''

Board chairwoman Maureen Dinnen said the delay was because of outside forces -- like budget woes and the impasse in contract negotiations reached by the district and Broward Teachers Union last year. ``This was not delayed by reluctance to move forward,'' she said.

Board members said they want to keep their current setup with in-house counsel and said they would move forward with putting out a request for letters of interest from attorneys.

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