Utah’s highest-paid superintendent, Jill Gildea of the Park City School District, is seeking new employment, even after the district board recently renewed her contract.
It remains unclear, however, whether she informed board members of her job search before the renewal decision, as she is required to do under contract.
Last week, Colorado Early Colleges, a network of public charter schools, announced that its board had selected Gildea as its sole candidate for the position of chief executive officer. That vote took place on Aug. 16, four days before the Park City School Board, in a 3-2 vote, renewed Gildea’s contract. Board members Meredith Reed and Nicholas Hill opposed the renewal.
When asked by The Salt Lake Tribune whether Gildea had notified the board of her job search before the vote, district officials did not provide a direct answer but issued a statement from Board President Andrew Caplan.
“We are aware of reports in the press that the Superintendent is a finalist for a job in Colorado,” Caplan said. “We are grateful for her contributions to the district over the past six years of service. While we hope that she will continue on in her current role, we respect her choice in this matter and will update the community as we have more information.”
According to her contract, Gildea must “promptly notify the board” should she decide to apply for other roles. She also is required to provide a “30-day advance written notice” if she decides to leave the district or face a $2,000 “early termination penalty.”
Officials from Colorado Early Colleges said whether or not Gildea breached her contract with the Park City School Board will not impact her potential candidacy.
“From our perspective, it’s obviously something that she’s going to have to address with her current employer, if she’s offered a position and decides to take it,” said Andrew Sparks, legal counsel for Colorado Early Colleges. “But there isn’t really anything that we have to deal with on our end.”
If Gildea decides to stay with Park City Schools, she will earn an annual base salary of $289,415 for fiscal year 2025, according to the new contract. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, her earnings will increase by $14,471, raising that base salary to $303,886.
Including benefits, Gildea earned $415,201.42 in fiscal year 2023, according to Transparent Utah. Her benefits also include a district-provided vehicle and a $870,000 house that the district purchased in 2018.
“It is the mutual desire of both the superintendent and the board that the superintendent reside within the district in a district-owned residence/property, in order to provide reasonable access to the school sites on a 24/7 basis,” the contract states.
The Colorado Early Colleges board is expected to vote on whether to extend an offer to Gildea at its next regular meeting on Sept. 20, Sparks said.
Calls to postpone Gildea’s contract renewal
Gildea’s contract renewal comes amid public calls to delay the decision until next year, as three new members will join the five-member board after November’s election. Incumbents Caplan, Wendy Crossland and Anne Peters had originally filed for reelection but have since withdrawn; their terms expire at the end of the year.
Because while Gildea’s former contract didn’t expire until June 2025, the contract stipulated that the board could renew after two years if they chose to.
A change.org petition, started by Josh Mann, a Park City resident and parent, urged the board to wait.
“It didn’t seem right that the current school board would saddle the new school board with decisions they made,” Mann said. He and other residents emailed administrators before the Aug. 20 renewal decision.
“When the vote happened, we were at about 500 signatures,” Mann said. “I think was kind of unbelievable.”
He said there had been, to his knowledge, no mention by the superintendent or board members about Gildea’s job search.
“It makes us wonder who on the school board knew of it?” Mann said. “And if they knew of it, why didn’t they mention it at the renewal? If nobody knew about it, ... the superintendent, I believe, has an obligation to tell the school board that she was applying for another job.”
The petition also cites issues with Gildea’s performance. It references a June 20 KCPW.org article stating that Park City School Board members considered Gildea’s performance “excellent” and believed she deserved the contract renewal.
“We hold a different view of Dr. Gildea’s record and respectfully request outgoing board members leave any potential contract renewal for the 2025 school board to decide,” the petition states.
The petition called Gildea’s compensation “extravagant” and disproportionate to her “sub-par” performance. It cited several concerns, including a federal investigation that found the district had failed to adequately respond to student reports of racial, antisemitic and sexual harassment. The district entered a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in March to address the compliance issues.
The petition also noted concerns with several delayed school construction projects, including the “unlawful” storage of contaminated soil behind one of its junior high schools. The dirt was found during a state audit last September and determined to be a violation of environmental laws and local ordinances.
“As supporters of PCSD, we strongly believe you can do much better for our children, our tax dollars, and our friends and family who work for the district,” the petition states. “It’s time for accountability - and that means a change at the top.”
As of Tuesday, the petition had amassed 555 signatures.