The Quakertown Community School District Board voted 5–4 on Nov. 19 to approve a one-year extension and revised pay package for Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman, following extensive public comment and hours of internal debate. The board initially considered an amendment proposing a $240,000 base salary and expanded benefits; members ultimately voted to amend the compensation figure to $233,000 before approving the amendment as amended.

Public speakers at the meeting urged the board to delay or reject the change, citing district budget pressures, declining test scores, and what several called an improper timing of the vote just before three newly elected board members are sworn in. Melanie Romanowski told the board: "I urge you to vote no on this amendment," citing concerns that the change "dramatically increases costs with no demonstrated benefit to the students." Other commenters — including Bobby Keller, Andrew Gilman, Joseph Thomas and Jamie Thomas (read by her husband) — pressed similar points about priorities for classroom spending, the district’s deficit, and the precedent set by repeated contract adjustments.

Board discussion centered on two competing rationales: some members framed the extension and modest pay increase as necessary to align the superintendent’s compensation with market norms and to stagger contract expirations so the district does not lose two senior leaders at the same time; others argued the matter should be postponed until the incoming board members could review and weigh in. Mister Lyons introduced a motion to postpone the vote to April, which failed. An amendment carried at the meeting reduced the proposed $240,000 salary to $233,000; the roll call on that amendment recorded yes votes from Kern, Shermer, Spear, Hippoff and Ayusu and no votes from Jackson, Reimers, Lyons and O'Donnell.

Supporters of the amendment said the one-year extension would give the incoming board an opportunity to work with the superintendent in a full performance cycle while addressing an internal pay inversion between the superintendent and the assistant superintendent. Mister Spear summarized that the extension was meant as a short-term fix to allow the new board members "one full cycle" to assess performance before making long-term decisions. Opponents pointed to last year’s statements from several board members that a prior adjustment to the superintendent’s contract would be a “one-time” correction, and said the rapid return to the issue undermined trust.

Procedurally, the original motion to approve the third amendment to Dr. Friedman’s contract was moved by Mister Kern and seconded; after substitute motions and amendments were considered, the final, amended package was approved with a 5–4 roll call. The board’s public materials list the amendment as an extension of the contract term by one year along with revised language on pay, vacation buyback, and caps on professional travel reimbursement; the approved compensation figure is $233,000 for the extended term.

The board did not adopt every proposal that had been discussed at earlier committee meetings; members also used the debate to reiterate expectations for future transparency and to ask the superintendent and administration for additional data on student achievement trends. The board is expected to publish the final amended contract language and the official vote tally in its posted minutes.

Outcome and next steps: The amendment as amended was approved and will be incorporated into the superintendent’s employment agreement; the board and district administration will publish the finalized contract language and any related budget impacts. The decision drew sustained public criticism during the meeting and is likely to be a focus for community questions going into the next board term.