In a controversial decision, Superintendent Jill Gildea’s contract has been renewed for another two years after a 3-2 vote.
Board members Nick Hill and Meredith Reed voted not to renew the contract, saying they would rather let the new school board make the decision after newly-elected members take office in January.
A Change.org petition started at the end of June echos those sentiments. With more than 500 signatures, it asks the board not to vote on the contract until new members are sworn in.
Board President Andrew Caplan, Vice President Wendy Crossland and board member Anne Peters voted for Gildea’s renewal. The three members’ seats are up for election in November. None of them are running again.
Peters said she wanted to give the three incoming board members time to assess the situation for themselves. Crossland agreed saying she thought hard about her decision.
“This contract through June 2026 gives the new board a chance to have the opportunity to decide if the current superintendent is the right person for the job and will continue to be while they're onboarding,” she said. “If I felt this was reckless or somehow harmful to the district, I wouldn't make a decision to approve.”
Crossland also said she wanted to maintain stability in the district. With three board members leaving, she said she wanted to give district staff reassurance there will be some consistency. She said the decision will also provide job security for Gildea.
Caplan echoed Crossland's stance. He said in his eight years as a board member he has seen ups and downs in the relationship between the board, staff and superintendent.
“We get an update here every month from our associations, which represent 800 employees that we have in the district,” he said. “In the past eight years, those reports and the relationship are at the highest. Are they perfect? No. Is anyone perfect? No. Could things be better? Always. But we take into account all stakeholders.”
Caplan also encouraged residents to consider a comment made earlier in the meeting by Mary Morgan, a longtime teacher at the district.
“It is imperative that we all continue to keep students at the center of everything we do and say," Morgan said. "Working together to move forward in a way that teaches our youth that hard situations and difficult issues are better solved when everyone works together."
The superintendent’s performance review was previously a point of contention for the board. Hill and Reed said they had not been involved in any performance reviews since they were sworn onto the board in January 2023.
The review process was changed this year at the request of Hill and Reed. Caplan said Utah School Boards Association Executive Director Richard Stowell facilitated the process using questionnaires and other systems to make a formalized evaluation of the superintendent.
The performance evaluation is mandated as part of Gildea’s contract. Marianne Allen with the Utah School Boards Association said there are no state rules regarding the evaluation process.
“Each district is going to be individualized in how they evaluate, how they do those reviews,” she said. “Each school board is going to respond to their community needs in different ways, and so it is up to them to guide that process.”
The board made some changes to Gildea’s new contract running through 2026. In the section outlining renewal terms, the contract clarifies the board will consider renewal before June 15 every year. That means the new board must consider renewing the contract before June 15, 2025.
If the board votes not to renew the contract, it must notify Gildea in writing by Feb. 1, 2026.
The board can also decide to terminate the superintendent at any time and offer a severance package of up to 12 months’ pay and benefits.
The superintendent can also resign at any time, giving the district 30 days’ notice. If leaving before the 30-day notice period, the superintendent must pay a $2,000 early termination fee.
