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Austin Independent School District employee salaries, 2009-2011
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Austin Independent School District employee salaries are a matter of public record under the Texas Public Information Act.[1]
Salaries
According to The Texas Tribune, the Austin Independent School District had a total of 12,202 employees in 2011, with a total salary cost of $495,408,243.[2]
- The average salary was $40,600.
- The median was $42,424.
- The highest salary was $283,412, for Superintendent Meria Carstarphen.
- The lowest salary was $7,120.
- There were seven employees earning over $150,000 a year.
The following table outlines the top 10 salaries in 2011:[2]
| Name | Department | Title | Salary |
| Meria Carstarphen | Superintendent - Cac | Superintendent | $283,412 |
| Melvin Waxler | Legal Services - Cac | General Counsel | $186,832 |
| Karen Sperry | Superintendent - Cac | Chief Of Staff | $175,000 |
| William Caritj | Chief Performance Officer | Chf Perf Ofcr | $175,000 |
| Nicole Conley-Abram | Chief Officer - Finance | Chief Fin Ofcr | $175,000 |
| Pablo Cruz | Chief Schools Officer | Chief Sch Ofcr | $175,000 |
| Michael Houser | Hr Development & Info Systems | Chf Hum Cpl Ofc | $175,000 |
| Glenn Nolly | Associate Sup High School | Assistantoc Sup-Hs | $146,279 |
| Ariel Cloud | Assoc Supt, Elementary Area 3 | Assistantoc Sup-Elem | $146,279 |
| Bergeron Harris | Associate Sup Middle School | Assistantoc Sup-MS | $146,279 |
Benefits
According to the Austin Independent School District website, the following benefits are available for employees:[3]
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Vision and dental insurance
- Disability
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
Car use
In 2009, Austin ISD provided 38 employees with take home vehicles while having a budget shortfall of $22 million. The fuel cost for the fleet was $48,000 in 2008.[4]
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[5] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[5] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[5]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Are city employees' salaries public information or are they protected for personal privacy?—Texas Center for Community Journalism
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Texas Tribune, "Austin ISD Salaries"
- ↑ Austin ISD Benefits
- ↑ Government Fleet, "School District Criticized for Take-Home Vehicles"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
