Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Wednesday filed a civil action seeking to recover $1.7 million that a state report said was inappropriately paid to the Buckeye Elementary School District superintendent.
Wilson, who now uses the last name Sandvik, could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
The Arizona Auditor General found “additional compensation” payments boosted Wilson’s pay to $3.3 million over five years, more than double the average take-home pay of superintendents in the state’s three largest school districts.
From July 2016 through December 2021, more than $1.7 million was paid to Wilson in additional compensation to purchase retirement credits through the Arizona State Retirement System, as well as payouts for unused leave. Her base pay during that time period was $1.5 million.
Making matters worse, the report said that about $571,000 of the payments were simple miscalculations the district made in paying the associated tax liabilities and per diem amounts, meaning the district didn’t have to pay that money to Wilson, the Internal Revenue Service and the state at all under her employment contracts.
The payments “may have been a gift of public monies in violation of Arizona’s Constitution,” the report said. The Auditor General submitted the report to Brnovich’s office, which filed a complaint in Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday making the same accusations.
Brnovich, who lost a bid for the U.S. Senate and will be replaced in the Attorney General’s Office next month, is seeking to recover the $1.7 million plus attorney fees in the civil case.
It also seeks a ruling from the court that the payments violated the state’s so-called gift clause.
“None of the three employment agreements between Wilson and (the district) document a public purpose or any additional value (the district) received for the $1.7 million in additional compensation, and all of Wilson’s described job duties remained the same before and throughout the three employment agreements,” Brnovich’s complaint said.
The complaint also lists the superintendent’s spouse, Doug Wilson, as a defendant. It is unclear if the two still are married. He could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
After the initial report came out, hundreds of people affiliated with the local education association called for the superintendent to resign. But Governing Board President Jane Hunt defended the funds paid to Wilson/Sandvik.
“The board has specific statutory authority to approve this as a benefit of employment for its chief executive officer,” Hunt wrote in defense of the Superintendent.
“The Auditor General’s office believes that the value paid exceeded the benefits received and therefore has been a gift of funds. It is the elected Governing Board that is tasked with evaluating whether the benefits received are proportional to the costs.”
The board made the deal with Wilson in exchange for the superintendent’s promise to remain with the fast-growing district, ensuring continuity of leadership, Hunt’s letter said.
Hunt could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)