Texas Schools Chief Michael Williams Will Make $215K
New Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams will get a salary bump of about $29,000 over his predecessor, the governor's office confirmed Friday.
Gov. Rick Perry has set Williams' salary at $215,000, about 15 percent above the amount appropriated in the agency's 2012-13 budget for the position — and the $186,300 that former TEA chief Robert Scott took home last year.
“This is an appropriate salary for Commissioner Williams considering the experience and leadership he brings to this agency and the importance of overseeing the education of millions of Texas school children,” said Allison Castle, a ...
Comments (43)
Kirk Garner via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Cronyism at its best.
Lance Culbert via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Nice to see the budget cuts , hiring and salary freezes that affected school districts haven't translated to Williams salary.
Tom Erickson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So much for us being in a budget crunch.
Cathy Moore Pritchett via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is ridiculous especially when unemployment soars and many of us are without a $20,000 a year job.
Greg Pulte via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Payoffs come at a price.
Judy Burns via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Sickening.
Paula Haschke via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The Emperor for Life rules again! 2014 can't get here fast enough, but unfortunately, we may be stuck with him until the end of the world.
Laura Lovett via Texas Tribune on Facebook
it was reported that he flew to Italy (on our dime) after leaving the RNC. So while he is gone, he still gets paid and so Dewhurst becomes the acting Gov and he too gets paid.(our dime, lots of them)
Don Wade via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I need that kinda payout just once, just once.
Not that it would make every thing so much better but to know how it felt to be so important. I don't deserved the blessings the Lord has given me but I sure do appreciate them. My beautiful wife and two lovely daughters.
Javier Hernandez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Did I read right? Another attorney to head the TEA.
Jimmy Alan Hall via Texas Tribune on Facebook
While I like Michael Williams, Boo! bad policy decision by the Gov.
Debbie Spencer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
RICK PERRY IS A FUCKING MORON! It's time to scale back the salaries of the upper managers and administrators. They provide nothing tangible to our children's education.
Sherry Drew via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Don't forget about the expense accounts...sigh...likely triple this..quadruple :-(
Susan Syler via Texas Tribune on Facebook
And if Michael Williams had any integrity (or compassion for teachers and their pitiful salaries), he would refuse to take it.
El Bow via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Good for Michael Williams!
Enedelia Obregon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Good to have friends in high places. BTW, how many teachers could get hired with that $$?
Oliver Franklin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Not only that, but how many teachers have more teaching experience than Michael Williams?
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What happened to Robert Scott? Did he leave for a higher paying job?
Lee Ferguson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Salary NOT commensurate with experience, apparently!
David Huang via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It must be nice to have a pal in Rick Perry.
Bonnie O'Donnell Hauser via Texas Tribune on Facebook
And vouchers will be rammed through this session so public ed can be even more screwed.
Alice Taylor
How many teachers have more teaching experience than Commissioner Williams?
All of them.
Richard Edwards via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Lay him off like a teacher!!!
Betty Haynes via Texas Tribune on Facebook
But he's paying into ERS
Jeann Wisenbaker via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We gotta get rid of Perry.
Susan Maxey via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Deficit spending
Duane Florschuetz via Texas Tribune on Facebook
While cutting education funding? I alwaus expected better from Aggies.
Rudy Gonzales
Rick Perry, the streaking Texas Turkey, who flamed out in front of the entire nation, cuts budgets of Texas Schools under the guise Texas doesn't have the money and budgetary constraints. But Perry awards TEA Commissioner Michael Williams a $29,000.00 dollar bump? What a Crock! What a Crock! in the budgetary constraints purported everyone must share the pain and blame. Perry himself is double dipping with a retirement and a salary on the tax payers expense! The revolving doors in Austin must be shut down and the people informed of these travesties. The revolving doors in Washington must be shut down and the people informed of these travesties.
Dale Curry
Don't you just love Perry's fiscal conservatism. Break the bank, blame someone else, gut public health and education and give your cronies ridiculous raises.
Enedina Rubio via Texas Tribune on Facebook
And no state employee raises! What a handsome payoff to your cronies. makes me sick.
Glenda Turck via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Both should be outed and shamed for this cronyism.
Jim Elder via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Sigh
Kim Feil
He was so ineffective at the Railroad Comission..here is what he missed...We have over 55 padsites in our 99sq mile town of Arlington, and this doesn't cover any human errors or accidents (we had a drill spill inour drinking water supply lake)....Frackers need to use electric rigs, frackers need NOT frack until they invent technology to keep their toxic silica dust on the padsite-those pathetic pillow case looking socks aren't getting the job done....and they need to use scrubbers on the open hatch flowback tanks during topflow. Frackers need to have the pipeline in place FIRST so that flowback doesn't sit in the ground for months festering a man-made hydrogen sulfide of stale water flowback. Frackers need to be set back away from people...one fracking mile for starters. But most of all if they can't guarantee that the casings will last and the injections wells won't migrate their horrid contents...then frackers need to spend their time & money on renewables. Sing with me now...OLD SCHOOL FOSSIL FUELS-MAKES A FEW RICH AND THE REST OF US FOOLS!
Kim Feil
Perry jus reinforcing a reward for previous bad behavior when he work at the Railroad Comission and allowed the drilling industry to frack us all. It's a perfect ending to the sad stories of all the schools next to drilling....
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Total fiscal irresponsibility! Giveaway of TX taxpayers' $$$!
Bonnie McGuire
Glad to see that people see this for what it is, a Rick Perry payoff! We can't get rid of this egotisical marooooon quick enough for me. Why wait for the gubernatiorial election? We should start clamoring for impeachment proceedings immediately!
@Rudy- love what you wrote about his flaming out in front of the whole nation! So true.
Chris Jonsson
Blood money.
Mike Openshaw via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Here's the note i sent Michael:
"Michael, as a leader of the North Texas Tea Party, I am an advocate of fiscal responsibility at EVERY level. I would ask that you consider setting an example for others to follow in these hard economic times, especially since the state budgetary cycle in education will be tough. I am asking you to request that your salary be frozen at you predecessor's level. It will be hard to maintain the the fiscal high ground with people like yourselves getting a 15%, $29K increase in pay.
(BTW: I have taken repeated pay cuts over the last several years in the private sector and am currently making 25% LESS that 3-4 years ago; I KNOW what I am asking you to do.)"
Not holding my breath on a response, but we'll see.
mark schoenfeld
That's quite a consolation prize for losing your congressional bid. I wonder how this will figure into our supreme leader's request to cut 10% out of each state agencies' budget. Will other TEA employees lose their jobs or receive pay cuts so Perry's BFF can get a HUGE pay bump?
EyesOfTX
My God, how much money will this state waste on this guy? Unreal.
nick pell
What are this guy's qualifications for the job? That he thinks vouchers and increased testing will change things?
Amy Rhine
Ummm Are you kidding me?!!! Why not set an example and not take that raise and pass it on to the teachers? My district hasn't had a raise for teachers in almost 3 years yet we are told there is no money. Looks like this terd & Rick Perry have it. I wish my school would pay me to fly to Italy. That'd be nice. I just love how these big wigs lead by example and wonder why no one likes or supports them?
Christine Lund
Allison Castle, I hope they are paying you enough. It must be difficult to look at these things and still be able to keep you lunch down. Makes me sick and I don't have to shovel anything.