Phil Spare, the district’s general counsel, presented under board policy 2.6 and reported he found no indication the superintendent changed his own compensation. Spare said he checked with district leaders and the payroll manager and prepared a short memo for FAC summarizing his findings.

Spare also told trustees that both Superintendent Gadowski and Deputy Superintendent Beau Fobert declined salary increases they were entitled to for the 2025–26 school year amid difficult budget discussions. He noted the current superintendent contract was approved in May 2023 and is a three‑year agreement, and he anticipated the board may discuss a contract extension in the months ahead.

Board members thanked Spare for the review and raised questions about internal payroll controls. Staff described PeopleSoft and other internal controls that require multiple approvals for pay changes and noted the external audit samples payroll actions as part of its procedures.

Why it matters: Policy 2.6 prohibits the superintendent from unilaterally changing compensation; the general counsel’s review that found no violations addresses a governance and compliance concern raised in prior budget discussions.