The Times recently reported that the EPISD superintendent was just given a $45,000 pay hike, “raising his salary to $303,000”.
Different story
The Texas Education Agency lists his base pay at $298,843 for 2015-2016.
Does that mean that today’s real number is somewhere around $350,000?
Don’t believe what you read
As it turns out the January 18, 2017 article in the Times was wrong. The superintendent’s salary was already at $303,000. A subsequent article in the Times used correct numbers without telling us whether it was the EPISD board president or the Times reporter who had made the mistake.
Then again maybe it was part of the Times editorial policy and not a mistake but a deliberate act.
As a reader pointed out yesterday, the superintendent also gets a $1,200 a month phone allowance. Some are more equal than others was a post that detailed other benefits in his first contract, some of which should get your attention.
No public input
The review of the superintendent’s performance was performed in closed session in a special meeting of the board that was held during working hours. Holding it at that time made it difficult for teachers or members of the public to attend.
The pay raise was subsequently approved in open session without any details.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Uh huh, there comes another tax increase, along with next years bond issue. (Still got to build that new Taj Mahal. After all, anyone making that much money in El Paso requires an appropriate edifice to rule from!)
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This article says that “Cabrera had foregone a pay increase last year.” His contract says that he will get the same percentage raise that the teachers get every year. This is verified by the fact that his current salary is $303,326 which is 6.3% higher than his $285,000 starting salary. And if past actions are any indicator of future events it is possible he will get more than the 15% if the teachers get a raise. Also what was failed to be mentioned is that last year his sick days were increased from 10 to 15 and this year to 20. And another benefit that is not mentioned is that if he does not use his vacation days (20) he will be paid for them in July as a lump sum. If he used his 20 sick days instead of vacation days he could convert his vacation days to $30,870 more George Washingtons. This is what I would do as you don’t often get the opportunity to bypass a vacation and somebody pay you $30,870. Then there is a $20,000 annuity paid annually and of course the $32,400 annual car and phone district payment and of course the one million dollar insurance policy that he owns. All of his travel, food and transportation costs are paid for by the district and if he takes his wife with him on trips her expenses are also paid for. There are more benefits but I am tired.
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He also gets a $2,500 a month or $30,000 annual incidental benefit payment.
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$1200 for phone! He must make a lot of those 1-900-HOTBABE calls to use that.
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What about a pay raise for EPISD Teachers ???!!!!??
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The superintendent’s base salary alone is now more than 50% higher than the VP of the U.S. and only about 50K less than the POTUS.
If the superintendent’s raise, like the city manager’s controversial raise, was significantly more than was called for in his contract, then the raise is nothing more than a big fat sales commission on the bonds he sold to the public. That means he is a glorified bond salesman. It also means he had a conflict of interest if he knew that he would benefit personally from the passing of the bond that he was promoting. Maybe that explains the use of photos of dilapidated school buses that were not really EPISD buses.
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The Superintendent has hit the the Lotto with getting this job… Not a bad deal for a two bit lawyer with next to no education experience and All the Right Connections!
He gets pay and benefits that are better than the Vice President of the United States (minus the private plane and Secret Service Protection). And, he doesn’t even have to show up for work regularly or even interact much with the unwashed masses (teachers, employees, and students)! He just has to smile for the occasional camera.
Like I said before, he’s not a REAL superintendent. He just plays one on TV.
They say that, “For evil to succeed, all that is required is for good men to do nothing”.
The Superintendent and the EPISD School Board are COUNTING on this. And so far… They are seeing huge personal success with this strategy.
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I pay $100 a month for unlimited everything. What does he need with a $1200/month phone allowance!?
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