At the November 19th meeting, the Quakertown Community School District (QCSD) considered setting a cap on the potential tax increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to 3.5% or less. Members of the board recounted that this action has been taken in years past to set a hard limit on the percentage of a potential tax increase.

           At this time, whether and by how much QCSD school taxes will increase is not known for sure. The 3.5% cap was approved with a unanimous vote by the QCSB school board.
            After considering the school tax increase cap, things turned more tense as school board members debated whether to preemptively extend the contract of Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman for another year. His current contract was set to expire at the end of the '26-'27 school year.

            The extension was ultimately approved, and Dr. Friedman's extended contract will raise his salary, extend him through June 30th, 2028, and provide him with other perks, including increasing his compensation for unused vacation days.

            Member Joseph Lyons opposed the measure, voicing his support for postponing the decision to extend the contract until a later date to involve the newly elected board members (who have yet to take office). He questioned the "need to move forward so quickly" on this issue, calling it a "made-up deadline." He called it an insult to the recently elected, soon-to-be board members that they would not be allowed to give Dr. Friedman's contract "the attention and thought that it deserves." The motion to postpone failed.

             Member Chris Spear added that Dr. Friedman had requested the contract be reviewed in June, far before the 2025 election results were known. He asserted that this process "was not rushed" and simply took "longer than expected."

            Member Jonathan Kern expressed his support for Dr. Friedman's extension, noting that good leadership needs to be retained, and the district did not want to risk losing him.

            After much debate and discussion, Dr. Friedman's contract was extended through June 2028. The motion was approved by a one-vote margin for a final vote of 5-4. Kern, Spear, Charles Shermer, Todd Hippauf, and Glenn Iosue all voted to extend the contract. Members Ronald Jackson, Brian Reimers, Lyons, and David O'Donnell voted against it.

            Also adjusted will be Dr. Friedman's salary - his new salary of $233,000 annually will take effect on January 1, 2026. Dr. Friedman's initial salary upon being hired by the district was $207,000 annually, a number that member Chris Spear noted was "far below the median salary for superintendents in Pennsylvania." His current salary is $227,000.