Superintendent's contract extended to 2031 at a $287,000 starting salary

What happened

On April 27, 2026 the board approved an amendment to Superintendent James Earle's contract running from 2026 to 2031 at a starting salary of $287,000, which the minutes record as approved by the executive county superintendent. The vote was taken as a separate motion, not inside the consent agenda, after a public hearing at which a resident spoke in support. Two months later the board approved his final evaluation in closed session, with no summary of it in the public record.

Why it matters to families

The superintendent's contract is one of the few decisions a board makes entirely on its own, and a five-year term commits a newly elected board's successors. The evaluation that justifies the extension was handled in closed session.

The evidence

The minutes state that 'the Board successfully renegotiated and amended Superintendent Earle's Contract to run from 2026 to 2031, with a starting salary of $287,000, which was approved by the County Superintendent.'

The source