We missed the Friday, February 10, 2017 article in the Times titled “EPISD leader’s new contract includes more perks” and thank a loyal reader for pointing it out.
Some of us may be upset with the shell game that the district played in hiding the details. The Times persisted and after three weeks the district finally provided a copy of the contract changes.
Failure to provide the requested information within ten business days is probably a violation of the Texas public information act. Will we see a county commissioner writing a personal letter to our district attorney asking the prosecutor to look into this?
Obscene
There has already been a lot of public outcry about the superintendent’s contract. The newly disclosed provisions will cause more.
The galacticly stupid comment the superintendent made to the Times when they were looking into the hidden contract benefits will cause even more outrage:
“Cabrera called his position “one of the hardest jobs in America” …
It is hard to imagine that he could think that much less say it out loud.
Any of us could site classroom teaching jobs in his district that are more difficult than his.
It almost seems that the superintendent wants to be fired.
School board
Other than the president of the school board, the district’s board has been quiet about this.
We have an election coming up this May.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Perhaps his lack of relevant experience is what makes it seem so difficult to him.
LikeLike
“Cabrera called his position “one of the hardest jobs in America” … What a real POS! Here’s a cretin making a totally obsene amount of money. He has an unknown number of lackeys (assistant supers, deputy supers, adminstrative assistants, etc) and he has “the hardest job…”! I call Bull$hit! How about he spend 2 days a week in the classroom teaching? Has he ever even been a teacher?
LikeLike
Absurd is what this is. 35 days of vacation? 226 day employes get ONE because the Super wants all employees on deck at the same time. Smells fishy to me . . .especially since now perhaps he is considering speaking engagements. And, really, want more sick days in case he gets sick and goes on disability? What about all his other 8K employees who barely get by? But, again, it’s the Board Prez who is afraid of losing him . . wonder why?
LikeLike
She doesn’t want to lose him before her developer friends are able to purchase the school properties they want.
LikeLike
Of course! Has anyone asked her and her Superintendent why they’ve decided to move district headquarters to diebtien? Surely it has nothing to do with promoting her extended family’s investment in the PDN hotel. And while you’re asking her questions about her family ties, ask her about her in-laws recycling plant across from an elementary school while researchers report toxic levels of contamination in that area. How’s that for ensuring our children’s welfare?
LikeLike
This is the equation that makes it rain for the Camino Real or Paso Del Norte or whatever it is called. EPISD moves its Central Offices right next door to the hotel. Then EPISD brings in external consultants, conferences, trainings etc. Where do these people stay? What hotel is nearby for EPISD to rent out banquet facilities, etc? The Camino Real/Paso Del Norte Hotel owned now by Myers! The owner has to be someone’s family! Son or nephew or uncle of husband or something. Everybody knows who won’t be getting the construction contract though! Banes Contractors! Because the board president said so in her interview last week when EPISD filed a bogus lawsuit to eliminate Banes as competition for future bond projects, Central Office or anything else. Oh and let’s not forget that the former Board of Managers President set EPISD as a Facilities Corporation so the Central Office construction or renovation of existing downtown building will be funded by a $29 million mini-bond that will NOT have to go to the votes. This whole thing has been a scam from the beginning!! They took advantage of criminal Garcia leaving to fill the swamp with a different kid of swamp rat. This kind likes big money!
LikeLike
Follow the money… It is the only truth to be found here…
LikeLike
You hit the nail on the head! The board president’s family is part owners in the Myers group.
LikeLike
Absurd is a fitting description.
LikeLike
“One of the hardest jobs in America” is a delusional, arrogant, narcissistic, self-serving statement. Try selling that statement to all the truly hard-working taxpayers who pay his salary and his personal telephone bill and subsidize his house payment through a “home office” allowance, while struggling and even working while sick to pay their mortgage and property taxes. Sell that to the teachers who purchase classroom supplies out of their own pocket; no supplies allowances for them.
For God’s sake, Cabrera is a local school superintendent in a failing, local school system that isn’t even in the top 100 best districts in Texas. (Well, actually he is a lawyer who earned his certification on your dime after getting the job.) But your board president would have you believe he is one of the best superintendents in Texas.
So, let’s put this in perspective. Cabrera’s base salary alone is more than double the salary of the governor of Texas. His salary is 50% greater than the salary of the vice president and only $50,000 less than the salary of president of the United States.
Hard job? Let him discuss “hard” with a three or four star general who makes about half what he makes. When was the last time he spent a night in a combat zone or buried a young person he had to send into harm’s way? Or better yet, let him justify that statement to an EPISD teacher who is responsible for children with learning disabilities.
But here’s the absurdity of his defense and where his greed is revealed. He didn’t just want a raise. He had compiled a wish list of 10 different ways he wanted his deal improved. And on top of all that, he wants us to work with him so he can leverage his position to make money on the side. So if Cabrera has one of the hardest jobs in America, how does he have the time and energy to take on outside consulting and paid speaking engagements. The board apparently didn’t see that contradiction when they agreed that he should be allowed to take on outside work. One board member had the audacity to say that his outside work benefits EPISD. Try these out with your own boss and see how that works out for you.
Cabrera said he won’t ask for another raise in the future, but will continue to accept the raises that other EPISD employees receive, as he has done in the past. That reminds me of the old expression: “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is ours.” He gets not just his raises, but also their raises; they get get their minuscule raises, but not his. I’m sure the other employees would also be delighted to accept the same double-digit increases awarded to their boss on top of their low single-digit raises.
This is as insane as the stunt city council pulled with the city manager’s raise. The entire EPISD board should be embarrassed. Every last one of them who voted for his new deal should resign or be recalled.
LikeLike
The ones up for election in May should absolutely be voted out of office. And all of the others should be recalled!
Every teacher should strike until Cabrera is fired.
But, this won’t happen for two reasons:
1. The teachers are so intimidated by the current administration. The list of people at the Ed Center and campus principals and assistant principals who have been publicly fired, reassigned, or demoted for tiny disagreements or literally on a whim is large and growing weekly! (yet another grand re-organization just recently… At least 4 more before the next school year is my bet…).
2. Because the teacher’s union in El Paso is snuggled up tightly in bed with these people. They put up a great front… They post messages to the membership about how they are “working with the administration and the Board to get the following things…” “Fighting for our rights…” “Demanding this and that…” Blah Blah Blah. They have sold us out just as much as the admin and the board. They are weak and useless and should also be replaced (perhaps with a few people who qualify as vertebrates?).
If these offending board members are not voted out of office resoundingly in May, then it will be positive proof that EPISD truly deserves all the corruption and bullying they get; and, the EPISD leadership (and the pure evil that drives them) wins.
LikeLike
“Cabrera had foregone a pay increase last year.” In fact, Cabrera has received a pay raise every year he has been in the EPISD as his contract tied him to the teacher’s salary schedule. His contract allows him to get the same percentage raise the teachers were given. He arrived in Sept of 2013 and his basic salary was $285,000, the next year the teachers received an average 2.3% raise so he got a raise of $6,555 and the next year teachers got 2.5% and this gave him $7,288 more and last year, the year he did without a raise, he only got 1.5% or $4,482 for a grand total raise of $18,326 while the teachers averaged a little over $3,000 If this is not crazy enough then the trustees gave him 15% more or $45.498.98. And this leaves him with a basic salary of $348,825.51 and in line for more when the teachers get their raise this year if they get one. If you look at all the years he has been here, in September four, he has increased his basic salary $63,825.51 or an average of $15,956.38 a year. And with the extra illegal vacation and sick days, and the coming teacher raise, we will probably need another bond issue to pay him.
LikeLike
The hardest part of this clown’s job is trying to spend every single dollar of his monthly perks.
LikeLike
Well, it IS a LOT of money to actually spend in a month…
I mean; after all, just his”home office allowance” and “phone allowance” together total more than many of his employees bring home as salary in a month.
LikeLike
It’s actually not that hard with the right expenses. That’s why he is selling his home for $750,000. That little shack just won’t do any more. I guess the hardest working man in America needs a million dollar home at the country club!
LikeLike
Here are the hardest Jobs in America:
Working the Fields from 4 am to 9 pm $13000
Uniformed Armed Services in Combat (varies)
Police Officer working the Street Beat $45000
Firefighter $45000
Emergency Services including EMS $45000
Day Laborer $14000
Teacher $45000
Air Traffic Controller
Garbage Collector. $23000
Coal Miner
Electrician/Lineman
Truck Driver
Loggers
Construction Workers and Forepersons
Corrections Officer
This person seriously underestimates HARDEST.
LikeLike
And a thousand other jobs in the World that are in fact harder than his…
LikeLike
Please add the true hardest job to the top of your list- being a good parent.
LikeLike
The dynamic duo were honored by El Paso Inc for their accomplishments, not for Education since these were none and negative, but for their obtaining $669 Million bond fund managed by a powerless, handpicked over-site committee. This is the School Superintendent u get when you hire a appointed school board president’s friend rather than an educator with experience and a successful record for “turn around”. Now, let’s get down to important business for the education of our “kids”, our new administrative offices. We want an area least expensive to the tax payer offices with a convenient location for administrator’s parking, shopping sports events, etc., plenty of parking for the teachers and parents. Obviously we are looking at downtown.
LikeLike
It’s nice to be honored for running up debt that will increase taxes and for supposedly doing your job that you are paid handsomely to do.
EPISD was shown as one of the sponsors of this awards show. They must have money to burn.
LikeLike
dynamic duo were honored by El Paso Inc for their accomplishments
——————————————————-
The Inc. thought Bob Jones hung the moon, too.
LikeLike
While I have not been impressed by Cabrera, I was against hiring another recycled school board superintendent who could “turn things around.” We’ve had a slew of them in this city and none of them did squat for our schools. I have been on superintendent search committees and the search companies the districts hire severely limit your choices to a few of their handpicked candidates, all of whom “had success turning a district around.” That was Garcia’s main qualification. Cabrera has not impressed me but at least he does not come from that cesspool of recycled superintendents.
And I’m wondering…are there ANY decent superintendents out there?
LikeLike
Don’t forget, “both of his parents were educators.” D Fenenbock insists that he is qualified.
LikeLike
I think by etc.. you mean located next to at least a couple of bars with good happy hour specials. It’s not that he’s a drunk who drinks every day who smells of alcohol at public school events, it’s just he has the “hardest job in the country” and needs to blow off some steam. Just no blowing into an alcohol meter please.
LikeLike
Cabrera and Fenenbock—thick as thieves
LikeLike
I wonder why the Times published this story on their website last week, but didn’t put it in the newspaper until today.
LikeLike
Notice how you have to do a search on the online edition of the times, and nowhere to be found in the app version which many readers use. Maybe because it’s love month, th Times decided to show some love to this corrupt administration. Forget Lorenzo Garcia, this one we need to FEAR. He’s not inflating scores, just his pockets.
LikeLike
Hey Rick, your brother just said your job is peanuts compared to yours.
LikeLike
If you are incompetent and unqualified, it is a hard job to do … just sayin.
LikeLike