Fort Bend ISD chief gets 5-year contract extension
by ZEN T.C. ZHENG, HOUSTON CHRONICLE published January 12, 2011 12:24 pm
Fort Bend school district Superintendent Tim Jenney's contract has been extended through the end of 2015.On a 6-1 vote, with trustee Jim Babb opposing, the school board approved the move Monday, Jan. 10.
Jenney was hired by the district in 2006 on a four-year contract that has been renewed yearly. School board president Sonal Bhuchar said that under the new five-year contract, Jenney will be evaluated annually.
A district news release issued Tuesday states Jenney will take a "$34,000 reduction in compensation" for the 2011-12 school year as part of the new contract.
The cut, however, is not for Jenney's base salary, which stands at more than $260,000. Bhuchar confirmed that the money is part of a job-performance-based $70,000 annual bonus that Jenney has been receiving.
While the $34,000 is being cut for the first year, that portion of the bonus will be reinstated each year after that and paid to Jenney's state retirement system account. While $36,000 out of the $70,000 bonus will still be tied to his job performance, the $34,000 payment toward the retirement system no longer will be, Bhuchar said.
She said the board extended the contract because of Jenney's achievements since he was hired.
"Significant gains have been made in our students' test scores every year, with more than 80 percent of our campuses now rated recognized or exemplary," she said. "We have also shown significant progress in closing the achievement gap between student groups."
She also praised Jenney's willingness to take the $34,000 cut for the first year of the new pact in light of the district's budget crunch.
Babb, however, said the $34,000 cut is deceptive because it doesn't apply to Jenney's base salary. He said his vote against the contract extension represents the will of the community he represents.
Now let's consider raises based on actual performance. If this $14,000 raise (2nd raise in 2 years) is kudos for passing a record bond debt that has thrown the district budget into its first ever deficit, then I would say he has earned it. Or if it is because absolutely NO middle school or high school on the east side of the district has earned exemplary status, then I would say he has earned it. If it is for record truancy and fine collections, then yes, by all means give it to him. If it is for the $10 million plus already spent on the HR software and consultants, by all means give him more. Or if it is for not investigating the allegations against his police chief recently, well all I can say is well done!
ReplyDeleteOnly in America do we reward executives for non-performance. What a job (sarcasm intended)! None of this even mentions that he started a little over 2 years ago with the highest supts salary in district history (what's the old question, are we better off?).....who knows because these raises aren't tied to our children's actual academic performance, but to a superintendents ability to get RECORD bond-debt passed by the public.
When do teachers get bonuses for actually doing the work that improved our ratings???? What EXACTLY did Dr. Jenney do to improve our children's achievement????
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