BUCKEYE, AZ — The Buckeye Elementary School District is facing a lawsuit over reports it paid its superintendent more than it should have.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the district and superintendent Kristi Wilson.
It follows a report issued by the Arizona Auditor General which found the Buckeye School District paid Wilson more than $1.7 million of "additional compensation" from July 2016 to December 2021.
The report states Wilson's total compensation came out to $3.3 million for that time. The report also states that Wilson was not entitled to $571,256 she received, under her employment agreements.
"Transparency and accountability are not electives in our public school districts," said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. "Hardworking taxpayers expect these public funds to be expended in accordance with the law and the best interest of students."
The auditor general found Wilson's compensation was about 100% more than what the state's three largest school districts paid its superintendents during the same period.
Through the lawsuit, Wilson is being required to return funds she was paid in violation of her employment agreements and the Arizona Constitution's Gift Clause.
