Public school funding and education spending have been hot topics in Texas for years, with last year's legislature addressing complaints about low teacher pay along with complaints about rising property taxes. But one group that hasn't complained much throughout the process is school superintendents, who are doing just fine according to a new report. The analysis from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) examined state data on public education salaries and found some eye-opening info. "There are almost one thousand superintendents in the state of Texas who earned a six-figure salary last year," says James Quintero, director of the Think Local Liberty project at TPPF. "Of that number, about 350 superintendents made more money than the Texas governor, and three school superintendents made more than the President of the United States."
Quintero tells KTRH that superintendents at large school districts in Texas make about $200,000 more annually on average than what superintendents across the country do. The highest of those salaries is Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent John Henry, at over $400,000 last year.
Since public schools by definition don't generate revenue, somebody has to pay for these ever-growing salaries. "Unfortunately, in too many cases it is coming out of teacher salaries, money that can be used on classroom supplies, and other things that can be used to help our children learn," says Quintero.
Teachers and students aren't the only ones impacted by bloated school administrator salaries. "When we're paying superintendents this much money, that means the taxpayer is going to have to bear an additional burden," says Quintero. "And all too often, that means paying higher property taxes."