School superintendents receiving big bonuses, allowances and other perks

SAN ANTONIO - School superintendents are already some of our highest paid public employees, but in recent years local districts have started slipping perks into their contracts to boost their pay even more. The News 4 Trouble Shooters found some income extras top administrators are getting that you're paying for. On top of sizable salaries, local superintendents are getting big allowances for cars, digital devices, and home offices. One gets a bonus just for staying in his job. Another district pays for its superintendent to be visited by a professional development coach.

Northside ISD parent Cristina San Miguel figured Superintendent Brian Woods would have a high salary, after all it the largest local district with more than 100-thousand students.

What surprised San Miguel is that in addition to his $350,535 salary Woods is also paid an extra $1,000 a month as a "longevity / retention payment".

“I'm kind of appalled and shocked to find this information out. I think those funds could be better used whether it's equipment or arts and music, teacher bonuses," San Miguel said.

Woods's contract says the longevity bonus replaces his car allowance, except the bonus increases what he'll receive later from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.

Northside told us in an email: The retention bonus in the superintendent's current contract had been in place in previous years but was identified under a different name and classification.

Then there's North East ISD Superintendent Sean Maika who makes $297,294 a year plus a $1,500 a month car allowance and another $250 per month for mobile devices and internet.

“Not only are top administrators being provided with large salaries up front that for most people ought to be used for cars, houses, iPads and all the rest, but they're also provided with some very rich benefits on the back end that of course cover things like healthcare and retirement," said James Quintero of Texas Public Policy Foundation.

SAISD's new Superintendent Jaime Aquino has some unusual clauses in his contract.

On top of his $324,449 salary and $750 a month car allowance he receives $200 a month to use for home office equipment or for "personal purposes".

The district will also pay airfare and lodging for a professional development coach named Thomas Randle to travel to San Antonio three times a year "to train and guide the superintendent".

Aquino, who was hired in May, declined an interview and the district says it hasn't reimbursed any of the coach's expenses yet.

Since SAISD's school board negotiated the contract with Aquino, we interviewed long-time Trustee Ed Garza, who explained why the board felt paying for the professional development coach was appropriate.

"It's really the ability to have somebody that they can go to for mentorship or coaching for you know, leadership development," Garza said.

"Professional development is all fine and well but it ought to be done on that person's dime," Quintero said.

Superintendent Contracts...

• Alamo Heights ISD
• Comal ISD
• East Central ISD
• Edgewood ISD
• Judson ISD
• Harlandale ISD
• NorthEast ISD
• Northside ISD
• Randolph Field ISD
• SAISD
• Schertz Cibolo Universal City
• Somerset ISD
• Southside ISD
• SouthSan ISD
• Southwest ISD

Here is Northside ISD’s full statement on Dr. Woods’ retention bonus:

“The retention bonus in the superintendent's current contract had been in place in previous years but was identified under a different name and classification. The Board of Trustees approved changing the name from a travel stipend to a retention stipend in order to make the amount eligible in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and to more accurately utilize the stipend as a retention incentive. The change in name did not affect the total compensation amount for the superintendent.

Northside ISD is the fourth largest school district in the state and a major employer in San Antonio and Bexar County. Therefore, recruiting and retaining quality leadership is a priority for the NISD board and competitive compensation is important to both of those efforts.

Here is SAISD’s statement on professional development coach:

“Dr. Aquino asked the board to include in his contract support for a leadership coach. It was important to him to be transparent about it prior to beginning his tenure to model the fact that we are truly lifelong learners and that he wanted to be pushed to get better so he can better support our students, teachers and schools. He feels a school superintendent needs a coach in order to help him/her refine leadership strategies. Coaching is an opportunity for the superintendent to step back, reflect on his/her practice, and develop new approaches to decision making and problem solving. Ultimately, a coach serves as an accountability partner and an agent for positive change.”

“When Dr. Aquino arrived, he was accepted into the Holdsworth Superintendent Leadership Program. The Holdsworth program is at no cost to the district and the program assigns a coach to Dr. Aquino. The coach Dr. Thomas Randle.”

“The superintendent leadership program is an 18-month program for a cohort of leaders who are in their first five years of the superintendency or are new to a large district, and are likely to have a long runway as a superintendent. The program is designed to support superintendents as they navigate unprecedented challenges at a critical point in their career.”

Curriculum is responsive to the needs of the cohort and extend beyond core leadership skills to provide training and support in the most challenging, high-stakes, and high-leverage aspects of the superintendent’s role, including leading with vision and strategy, communication, navigating the external landscape, and building a high performing executive team.”