Board set to vote on contract for new MPS superintendent

The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education is scheduled to vote on two contract proposals for the district’s preferred choice for superintendent.

The board’s vote is scheduled for Tuesday night, a week-and-a-half after members chose current Eastern Carver County Schools Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams as the district’s next leader.

Since then, the sides have negotiated two contracts for Sayles-Adams. If approved, she’d take over as superintendent on Feb. 5, the district says.

The first contract would start on Feb. 5 and run through June 2024, paying out a base salary of $107,000, according to the proposal. Then, the board will vote on a separate three-year deal that would start in July 2024 and run through June 2027.

Under the three-year deal, Sayles-Adams would have a base salary of $266,000 in the first year, $271,000 in Year 2 and $276,000 in the final year. Additionally, she’d get a $600 monthly vehicle allowance, a $2,000 annual health savings account contribution from the district and 35 paid vacation days per year, the proposal states. For reference, the base salary is on par with St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard.

Before assuming her current title on July 1, 2020, Sayles-Adams worked in a variety of other education roles, including teaching in Minneapolis for nine years. In total, she has more than 27 years of experience in education.

Previous Superintendent Ed Graff ended his contract in 2022 and Rochelle Cox is currently serving as the interim superintendent.