Superintendents are the chief executives in Texas public school districts, hired to manage day-to-day operations and envision the future. They also generally bring home the highest paychecks in a school district.

Here’s which Corpus Christi-area superintendents are the highest paid:

The Corpus Christi Independent School District is the largest Coastal Bend school district. Superintendent Roland Hernandez oversees about 4,500 employees and 33,000 students.

It’s a big job, with a big salary for a school administrator.

For fulfilling his duties, Hernandez is guaranteed a base annual salary of just over $340,282.

Hernandez began leading Corpus Christi ISD in 2014. In the decade since then, his annual base salary has grown by nearly $100,000 — when he started, it was $242,000.

But the base salary isn’t where superintendent compensation ends.

Hernandez’s 2014 contract also included monthly payments to cover automobile and cell phone costs and a monthly cost of living stipend. That amounted to $19,800 annually in 2014.

Also included was a $15,000 annuity/tax deferral stipend.

Every year or two, Corpus Christi ISD has amended the superintendent contract.

The monthly stipend grew through 2019, when it was replaced with one-time annual stipends. According to the most recent 2024 addendum, this supplement is now equal to 100% of the superintendent’s required portion of monthly member contributions to the Texas Teacher Retirement System.

The most recent statewide ranking of superintendent pay compiled by the Texas Education Agency based on data submitted by school districts dates to 2024.

According to this data, Hernandez was the 15th-highest paid superintendent in the state based on base salary.

This put Corpus Christi ISD’s superintendent base pay within $5,000 of other urban school districts statewide, including school districts in Houston, Brownsville, Dallas and Edinburg.

But after an $82,000 pay raise to the Houston Independent School District’s superintendent, the school district is no longer comparable to Corpus Christi ISD based on base salary. Additionally, the Houston ISD leader has also taken home six-digit performance bonuses, according to Houston Chronicle reporting.

The potential performance incentive in Hernandez’s contract with Corpus Christi ISD doesn’t exceed $10,000, per the 2014 contract.

So, though performance incentives and supplemental payments, as well as the lag in state data reporting, make it difficult to directly compare superintendent compensation across the state, Corpus Christi ISD’s superintendent compensation does seem in line with or below that of other urban Texas school districts.

But Corpus Christi ISD also far outpaces any other area school districts.

Gregory-Portland Independent School District Superintendent Michelle Cavazos considered leaving the district in 2023. But instead the district renegotiated her contract.

Her base salary grew to $265,000.

Flour Bluff Independent School District Superintendent Chris Steinbruck’s annual salary is $217,124.

Tuloso-Midway Independent School District Superintendent Steve VanMatre’s salary is $205,065. His contract also includes a $50 monthly communications stipend and a $700 monthly cost-of-living stipend.

London Independent School District Superintendent Bill Chapman’s salary is $195,000.

Calallen Independent School District Superintendent Emily Lorenz’s salary is $175,595. The contract also includes a $500 monthly car allowance and a $150 cell phone allowance.

The Caller-Times could not locate the West Oso Independent School District’s superintendent contract before publication of this story. The Texas Education Agency database shows Superintendent Kimberly Moore’s base pay was $161,600 in the 2024-25 school year.

According to a 2024 Texas Association of School Boards survey, which included 74% of Texas’ school districts, the median superintendent salary in 2024-25 was $362,250 for districts with enrollments of 50,000 or more and just $115,000 for districts with fewer than 500 students.

One aspect of school financial accountability is administrative costs.

The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas measures a school district’s administrative cost ratio. According to 2024-25 data, Corpus Christi ISD and Calallen ISD had the lowest administrative cost ratio of the Corpus Christi school districts.

Other area districts, including Tuloso-Midway, West Oso, Flour Bluff and London school districts, hovered between 0.11 and 0.13. Smaller school districts are expected to have a larger ratio, but these districts each slightly exceeded the ratio necessary for a perfect score based on their size.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Corpus Christi ISD ‘sincerely regrets’ interruptions to public comment on 10 Commandments

How much money do Corpus Christi schools have? See what financial ratings say

This Corpus Christi elementary school is top 3 in Texas, per U.S. News & World Report

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: See how much Corpus Christi school superintendents make