HISD superintendent awarded $25,000 bonus for TAAS results

[kceh@AIRMAIL.NET]

My starting salary as a first-year teacher five years ago was $26,000.
Carol
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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section:
Local & State


Nov. 20, 2002, 8:11PM

HISD superintendent awarded $25,000 bonus for TAAS results
By SALATHEIA BRYANT
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle


HISD Superintendent Kaye Stripling is getting a $25,000 bonus, an
amount based on this year's TAAS test results.

Houston Independent School District trustees on Wednesday voted
unanimously to give the maximum bonus to the district's top
administrator, using a formula that calculated how well the district
closed the student achievement gap on the Texas Assessment of
Academic Skills.

According to district information, the achievement gap between white
students and minority and economically disadvantaged students
closed by 2.235 percent.

Stripling, whose annual salary is $250,000, was given a certain dollar
amount per one-tenth of a percentage point by which the gap closed.
The bonus is included in her contract. Former Superintendent Rod
Paige had a similar clause in his contract.

Board President Laurie Bricker said Stripling deserved the bonus.

"To me, this was not a gift. This was something that was earned," she
said. "This was data driven."

Trustees privately discussed Stripling's performance for more than
two hours, then, in a special meeting, voted to give her the full bonus.
Trustees Larry Marshall and Olga Gallegos were not present for the
vote.

Trustee Kevin Hoffman said it was important that the board have
enough time to discuss the superintendent's performance without
having to deal with other items.

"This was duly posted as a public meeting," he said. "This is our only
employee. This is one of our most important duties, and it deserves a
special board meeting."

Stripling said that with the state's new accountability test next year,
improving student achievement will be an even greater challenge.

"I didn't think it was easy this year," Stripling said. "Closing the
achievement gap is never easy. It takes a high level of performance by
everyone."

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HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section:
Local & State
This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/
1671116

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