Spokane Public Schools board extends Superintendent Adam Swinyard’s contract with pay boost

Superintendent Adam Swinyard will retain the reins of Spokane Public Schools for another three years after the school board unanimously approved his contract on Wednesday.

The contract boosts Swinyard’s pay to roughly $279,000 year, plus annual inflationary increases, up from his salary last year of $272,000.

Swinyard also receives 30 paid vacation days, 13 paid holidays, 12 paid sick days and a $750 monthly stipend for use of his personal vehicle.

Cost-of-living inflationary increases as established by the state are to be deferred until after the board approves their district budget in August, Swinyard said at the school board meeting.

The board acts on a three-year “rolling contract” for Swinyard, but renews the contract annually for a year-long extension. If the board should choose not to renew the contract, it would expire after the three years established in his current contract.

Swinyard has worked in Spokane Public Schools for over a decade, first joining the district in 2011 as the principal assistant at Garry Middle School. After a two-year stint as an assistant principal in Cheney, he returned to Spokane as principal of Sacajawea Middle School in 2013. Three years later, he was promoted to associate superintendent of the district. In 2020, he assumed his current role as leader of the district.

Spokane Public Schools enrolls nearly 29,700 pupils and employs more than 6,000 staff at 58 schools across Spokane.