Texas lawmaker proposes limit on superintendent salaries

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Texas Rep. Carrie Isaac (R-District 37) introduced a bill earlier this month that would limit school superintendent salaries.

House Bill 2562 would limit the yearly salary of a school district superintendent to no more than twice what the highest-paid teacher in the district makes.

Local Education Advocate George McShan said the proposed bill would de-value education.

"We should not be de-valuing education by lowering superintendent salaries, it's a time to invest in our educational system and the person who leads that system is the superintendent," McShan said.

According to the Texas Education Agency, the average teacher salary in Texas is $62,474. The average teacher salary in Region One, the region that covers the Rio Grande Valley, is $61,445.

Larger Valley school districts such as Brownsville ISD and McAllen ISD have superintendent salaries upward of $300,000.

Local Valley residents believe that money should go towards the teachers.

"I think the teachers have a lot more responsibilities with a lot of students," Letty Hinojosa said. "Sometimes they put more students in every classroom, more than they're supposed to so I think teachers should be paid more than superintendents."

Ethan Trevino said superintendent salaries should be reduced.

"The teachers do too much, they go through too much just to get paid what they get paid," he said.

The bill also requires that every school district post their superintendent's salary on their website.

If passed, it would apply to employment contracts signed on or after Sept. 1.