PHOENIX – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit today against the Buckeye Elementary School District (BESD) and superintendent Kristi Wilson. This follows a report issued by the Arizona Auditor General that found BESD paid Wilson more than $1.7 million of “additional compensation” from July 2016 to December 2021. That brought Wilson’s total compensation to about $3.3 million for that time, an estimated $571,256 of which she was not entitled to 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 that Wilson’s compensation was about 100% more than what the state’s three largest school districts, on average, paid their superintendents during the same period. The lawsuit seeks to require Wilson to return any funds BESD paid her in violation of her employment agreements and the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause.
Read a copy of the complaint here.