ST PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education approved Dr. Joe Gothard's three-year contract extension as the district's superintendent at Tuesday's board meeting.
The board voted unanimously to extend Gothard's contract, which will go into effect July 1, 2023, and go through Jun 30, 2026.
“I want to thank the Board of Education and the Saint Paul community at large for placing their trust in me to lead our district in achieving equitable outcomes for all students,” Dr. Gothard said in a press release. “I am counting on everyone to continue to hold me accountable over the next three years.”
According to a press release from SPPS, the new contract includes a base salary of $256,000 with a 1.96% increase each year. The board will also formally review his performance at the end of each contract year.
Gothard, who has been with SPPS since 2017, held the position as school districts nationwide navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as when the St. Paul Federation of Educators went on strike for three days in early 2020.
Most recently, he advocated making changes to the district's COVID policies, including dropping the "vaccine or test" strategy, quarantine times and guidelines surrounding unvaccinated students.
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