Correction: The headline on the Friday, Dec. 19, print edition story “Board votes to raise superintendent’s pay” should have read “Board votes bonus for superintendent,” regarding Sedona-Oak Creek School District Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., whose base salary will remain the same for the 2026-27 school year. Performance pay bonuses are standard contract incentives tying extra compensation to achieving specific goals and metrics set by school boards.
The Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board voted on Dec. 9 to give Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., a bonus after his contractual performance review by the board for the following school year.
“The performance pay that was approved is 6% of his salary, which is $8,034,” board President Randy Hawley subsequently said.
This decision came after an hour-long executive session discussing the superintendent’s performance over the past year, Hawley said.
The metrics for evaluating the superintendent are set by the Arizona School Board Association, which includes six domains: Leadership and district culture, instructional leadership, organizational management, educational access and engagement, communications and community relations and board governance and policy.
The actual scores, which were discussed during the executive session, were not made public, but Hawley said his personal opinion has been very positive since Swaninger arrived and has seen improvement throughout the district since he began.
Swaninger was hired in 2023 and is now entering his third year as superintendent. Before his current role, he was the principal at Eastmark High School in the Queen Creek Unified School District.
Other board actions included updating a list of qualified evaluators for the teachers and administrative staff in the district, including Swaninger, Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Estes-Chilton, Director of Student Services Kelly Freudenthal, Second Red Rock High School Principal Heather Isom, West Sedona School Principal Alisa Steig and SRRHS Assistant Principal Michelle Aronfeld.
The other action item added an intergovernmental agreement with the Yavapai County Education Department, run by Superintendent Steve King, for more resources for special education students and other professional services.
“We typically have an IGA with the county school superintendent for various reasons, but this is actually something new, where they’re providing some additional professional services,” Director of Finance Stacy Saravo said.
The IGA covers a consulting agreement for special education intervention, general student achievement and support for academic behavioral administrative actions, she said.
Big Park Community School
Big Park Community School
During his update to the board, Swaninger said updates to the Big Park Community School property will come in the next month or two. The board shuttered the campus in 2018 and moved all students to WSS. Voters approved a ballot proposition in 2024 allowing SOCSD to a third-party.
“The plan is to begin accepting formal calls for offers beginning in the first year, and then that window will open throughout the month of January,” Swaninger said. “The plan is to have it close on [Friday], Jan. 30, and we do have some early interest from potential home builders or those that would like to use the property in a different way, such as potentially using it as a community center and things like that.”
