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The sharp increases have finally brought Zemlicka's salary in line with where it should be, according to WISD board President Gene Lamont.
"When we originally hired Dr. Z (at $90,000 in 2002), the board that hired him said we would move him to be competitive with other superintendents in Montgomery County if he fulfilled our critique and needs," Lamont said. "It's taken us some increments to get there. We're there now. You won't see any more large increases. Now he is competitive with other superintendents in Montgomery County."
While 17 percent may seem like a large pay increase, there are many reasons it could happen, said Mary Barrett, Texas Association of School Boards assistant director for compensation services.
"With every superintendent there's a unique contract with that superintendent and the district," Barrett said. "If the board has been very pleased with the superintendent and the district is moving in the way they want it to, the pay may reflect that. ... There could be a very good reason to that pay increase."
Plus, more experience often means more pay, Barrett added.
The average salary for a superintendent in a district with 5,000-10,000 students, the size of the WISD, is $151,947, Barrett said. The New Caney ISD, which pays Superintendent Rick Cowan $162,070 to oversee 8,700 students, and the Montgomery ISD, which pays Superintendent Jim Gibson $177,650 to supervise 6,092 students, also fall into that category.
"I think my pay is well in line with compensation with other CEOs leading major companies," Gibson said. "I wish teaching staff at public schools were paid more comparable."
The highest paid Texas superintendent in 2006-07 for a district with roughly 5,000 students was Lake Travis' Donald Kirk at $201,253, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The average salary increase for Texas superintendents was 5 percent for the 2007-08 school year, according to a survey released Monday by TASB and the Texas Association of Schools Administrators. The average salary is $109,856, with salaries ranging from $76,356 to $263,240.
Watching over a district of 25,000-49,999 students pays an average of $213,829, Barrett said. Conroe ISD Superintendent Don Stockton nets $238,050 to run a 46,500-student district, CISD reported.
"With the number of students that we have, Dr. Stockton's salary is number four," CISD Board President Lynda Sasser said. "Most of the ones above him have a number of years' more experience. I think we are competitive in his pay.
"I do really like the fact that Dr. Stockton's salary is a straight salary. There is no package deal. What you see is what you get."
Stockton also asks the board to keep his salary increase in the same range it approves for other employees, Sasser said.
Magnolia ISD Superintendent Micheal Holland's salary also appears to be comparable with his counterparts'. The statewide average for a superintendent with a district of 10,000-25,000 students is $174,705, Barrett said. Holland pulls in $162,720 to run an 11,028-student district, Magnolia ISD reported.
Splendora ISD Superintendent Thomas Price, who has been with the district nine months, is making $128,000 to run the 3,317-student district, SISD reported. The average pay for a superintendent in a district with 3,000-5,000 students is $123,686, Barrett said.
However, superintendent pay doesn't seem to be based strictly on the number of students in a district. The highest paid Texas school administrator for 2006-07 was Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent David Barbosa, who made $326,847 to run a 24,616-student district, while Houston ISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavreda, who oversees the state's largest district of 202,936 students, received $301,933, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Kassia Micek can be reached at kmicek@hcnonline.com.
