SAN BENITO — Interim Superintendent Teresa Servellon is making more than former Superintendent Nate Carman made during his first year on the job, a school board member said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, some school board members didn’t know she was making $800 a day, board member Orlando Lopez said.
Instead, he said, they thought she was making $500 a day.
”I’m surprised,” Lopez said. “That’s not what was discussed. What was presented to us was $500. I wasn’t aware it was $800. The (the school board’s) minority wasn’t aware.”
Lopez said contract negotiations, which he voted against, led the district to agree to pay Servellon $800 a day.
“They negotiated and gave her more,” he said.
Board member Ariel Cruz said she voted against contract negotiations that led the district to pay Servellon more than trustees had discussed.
“Personally, I was surprised because the contract was significantly different to what was presented to the board,” she said.
On March 10, Servellon and board President Ramiro Moreno signed a contract paying her $800 per working day.
“The board agrees to pay the interim superintendent a salary in the amount of $800 per day, prorated in accordance with the actual period of time the interim superintendent provides services under this contract,” the contract states.
‘Competitive’ salary
Meanwhile, board member Janie Lopez described Servellon’s salary as “competitive” in the state in which the average salary for superintendents overseeing districts with enrollments of 10,000 to 24,000 students is $238, 552.
”The pay is competitive with other superintendent pay rates and less than our previous superintendent,” she stated. “It was negotiated after the school board voted to give authority to our general counsel and board president so we wouldn’t hold our district back any longer and execute the contract immediately after negotiations. When we released the previous superintendent, we had to move swiftly so as to not hold back any district operations. Our current interim superintendent took this challenge on short notice to replace the former superintendent that asked out of his contract unexpectedly mid-year. Ms. Servellon also moved to San Benito over Spring Break and was at her desk on the first day after Spring Break to address the needs of the district.”
District paying Servellon more than Carman during his first year
Based on the number of annual working days, the contract is paying Servellon more than Carman was making during his first year on the job, Orlando Lopez said.
During his first year, Carman was making $175,000, he said.
“He already had several years of experience as a superintendent,” he said. “She doesn’t have the superintendent experience.”
Background
On March 8, board members voted 4-3 to hire Servellon, who was serving as the South San Antonio school district’s chief academic officer.
With 35 years of experience in education, she had served more than 20 years with the San Benito school district, working her way up to director of secondary curriculum and instruction after serving as a principal and teacher.
Servellon holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Texas State University.
In 2017, the past school board hired Carman before signing him to a four-year contract paying an annual salary of $202,776 along with a $1,800 monthly stipend, plus benefits in 2019.
Now, board members are launching a search for the district’s next superintendent, who would likely be hired no earlier than about the August start of the upcoming school year.
Meanwhile, Servellon is expected to lead the district as the school board drafts its new budget.
