Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, a state-appointed chief who has change into a polarizing determine amongst district stakeholders, will obtain a elevate of $82,000 per yr underneath a five-year contract extension permitted by the board of managers final Thursday.
The approval of the brand new contract — which will increase Miles’ annual wage from $380,000 to $462,000 — comes lower than a month after Texas Training Commissioner Mike Morath changed 4 of the 9 members on the board of managers and mentioned the state’s ongoing takeover of HISD would final till at the least 2027. The revamped board additionally unanimously permitted a $2.1 billion funds for the 2025-26 faculty yr finally week’s assembly.
In an announcement, board president Ric Campo mentioned Miles’ contract was prolonged to make sure the district’s continued transformation.
“The brand new contract additionally maintains rigorous analysis standards and compensation that aligns the HISD superintendent place with comparable faculty districts in Texas,” Campo mentioned. “The HISD Board is pleased with the unbelievable success of HISD college students, and with Superintendent Miles’ ongoing management, we sit up for continued progress.”
Miles’ new base wage will make him among the many highest-paid superintendents within the state, in keeping with Texas Training Company knowledge for the 2024-25 faculty yr. Along with his earlier wage, Miles was ranked 14th statewide.
In keeping with the TEA, the highest-paid superintendent through the 2024-25 faculty yr was Randall Meyer from Victoria ISD, close to Corpus Christi, with a base wage of $565,047. The best-paid superintendent within the Houston space final yr was Barbers Hill ISD’s Greg Poole with a base wage of $489,143. In Harris County, the highest-paid superintendent final yr was Martha Salazar-Zamora of Tomball ISD with a base wage of $469,638.
The elevate for Miles drew criticism from the Houston Federation of Academics, a union representing 1000’s of lecturers in HISD. His two-year tenure, whereas coinciding with improved scores on standardized exams, additionally has been marked by continued enrollment declines, important staffing shakeups, group protests and the failure of a $4.4 billion bond proposal that may very well be thought of a referendum on Miles’ management and the state’s intervention.
“This hostile takeover is nothing greater than a cash seize for (Gov. Greg) Abbott and his cronies,” Houston Federation of Academics president Jackie Anderson mentioned in an announcement to Houston Public Media. “How coincidental that the vote for this elevate comes on the heels of eradicating essentially the most outspoken of the board of managers, these probably to vote in opposition to it. None of this has something to do with pupil outcomes.”
Along with Miles’ greater than 21% elevate, set to take impact July 1, his contract features a efficiency incentive pay plan tied to a points-based analysis system created by the board. Miles can earn most incentive pay of $231,000 per yr.
His contract additionally contains private safety and a district car. The board can reevaluate and regulate his wage at any time through the five-year contract.
