Arizona AG Brnovich sues school district, superintendent who paid herself $3.3 million over 5 years

Arizona Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Wednesday announced his office was suing the Buckeye Elementary School District and its superintendent, Kristi Wilson, over alleged "additional compensation" payments Wilson received but to which she was not entitled.

The district paid Wilson more than $1.7 million in "additional compensation" from July 2016 through December 2021, according to a report from the Arizona Auditor General. In total, she received roughly $3.3 million during that time, but was not entitled to $571,256, the suit alleges. Wilson's compensation roughly doubled the average compensation of the superintendents for the state's three largest school districts, the report found.

"Transparency and accountability are not electives in our public school districts," Brnovich said in a press release. "Hardworking taxpayers expect these public funds to be expended in accordance with the law and the best interest of students."

Wilson faces two counts of violating the state's Gift Clause.