The BISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $20,000 salary increase for Superintendent Hector Gonzales at its Sept. 23 meeting.

However, BISD Trustee Pat Lehmann had previously made a motion to approve the $20,000 salary increase with one-year contract extension for meeting his performance benchmarks. The motion was seconded by Board President Dr. Enrique Escobedo Jr., but the remaining trustees voted against it.

A subsequent motion was made by Trustee Herman Otis Powers Jr. for a $20,000 salary increase for FY 2008-09 but without the contract extension. It passed unanimously.

In October 2007, the board had also increased Gonzales' salary from $185,000 to $205,000. According to The Brownsville Herald, the raise was comparable to that given to other superintendents, which averaged a 4.6 percent statewide increase.

In 2007, the Texas Association of School Boards reported in a survey that the average superintendent salary for districts with more than 50,000 students was $263,240. BISD enrollment is more than 50,000 students.

Gonzales has been BISD superintendent since November 2006.

Former Superintendent Michael Zolkoski was hired at $195,000 a year with his salary at $208,000 when he left BISD.

To watch the Sept. 23 meeting, click here.

About the Super:

Hector Gonzales was named Superintendent of the Brownsville Independent School District, the Rio Grande Valley’s largest district, on November 1, 2006. A Valley native, Gonzales has spent 28 years as a superintendent, administrator, and teacher at schools and districts across South Texas. For over 12 years, he has held top administrative positions in Brownsville. Prior to his latest assignment, Gonzales served BISD as Assistant Superintendent of Operations. His tenure with Brownsville includes a previous role as Interim Superintendent in 2000-2001. Hector Gonzales was also Superintendent of Santa Maria ISD from 1995-1998. Administrative and teaching positions in Harlingen ISD, United ISD, and Laredo ISD are also included in his history of work.

Gonzales began his career in education as an instructor at Texas State Technical Institute and Laredo Junior College. He is a 1973 graduate of Texas A & I University in Kingsville, holds a master’s degree in education from Corpus Christi State University, and obtained his superintendent’s certification from the University of Texas-Pan American.

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