The Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board voted Superintendent Shane McCord a full 5% pay-for-performance bonus during the board’s June 11 meeting.
The 4-0 vote, with Board Member Chad Thompson absent, came in the board’s brief business meeting after McCord's performance review in executive session.
The pay comes on top of his $240,000 base salary, according to his contract with the district.
It also came with praise from the board members.
“I just really appreciate all that's been done to make us more fiscally responsible, more responsible academically, moving students forward, and taking care of student safety, all of the different issues that we work on,” Board Member Jill Humpherys said. “And I just want to express my appreciation to Dr. McCord for the hard work he's done with him and his team. This is no one-person show, but good leadership makes a difference.”
Board Member Lori Wood agreed with Humpherys.
“Thank you, Dr. McCord, for your leadership and for all those initiatives that have been put forward and the way that you guys work together, collaborate, and make sure that our students are at the center of everything and our staff and employees as well,” she said. “I think we did some great things this year and it was great to review them and appreciate all that you do.”
Added Board Member Ronda Page: “Dr. McCord, there are not words enough to express my thanks for all the work and the diligence that you give to the school district day in and day out.”
President Sheila Uggetti reiterated their comments and noted the team of administrators McCord has brought on with him.
“Your leadership is absolutely outstanding, but you have surrounded yourself with people that are equally as good as you are,” she said. “And I know you said something about you always hire for your weaknesses. ... And I'm glad that you got those weaknesses because you certainly have gotten some good people.
“But I wouldn't say that they are weaknesses. I think that you can tell the kind of people we need, and your leadership allows them to do their job the way that they need to do it without worrying about it. And because of that, they make you look good, and then you make us look good.”
McCord started as a student teacher in the district out of college and worked his way up to assistant superintendent. He left for an assistant superintendent role in Mesa in 2014 and then returned to GPS as superintendent in October 2017.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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