Lake Worth ISD Superintendent Ena Meyers will make $240,000 a year \u2014 plus to-be-determined performance bonuses.<\/p>\n
The terms are part of a contract that runs from April 23, 2026, through June 30, 2030 \u2014 longer and more expensive than the three-year agreements offered to Meyers\u2019 two predecessors. The contract is between Meyers and Lake Worth ISD\u2019s state-appointed board of managers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth Report obtained the contract through an open records request.<\/p>\n
The contract also calls for the district to pay Meyers an additional 11% of her salary \u2014 about $26,400 \u2014 which she can put into a retirement account or receive in cash. That brings her annual salary and supplemental compensation to at least $266,400 before other benefits, additional district-paid retirement contributions and any performance incentives.<\/p>\n
Board President Tom Harris said the agreement is comparable to previous superintendent contracts in Lake Worth while accounting for the demands of the state intervention. The Texas Education Agency was also part of conversations over the contract\u2019s terms, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to pay your superintendent market rates in order to make something happen,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThat\u2019s basically what we think we\u2019ve done here with her contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, Meyers said she views the contract as a reflection of both the expectations and responsibility that come with leading the district during the intervention.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy focus is not on the length or financial terms of the contract, but on the work ahead,\u201d Meyers said. \u201cI want to build a strong foundation for teaching and learning, support our educators and campus leaders, strengthen our systems, and create the conditions for every student to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contract\u2019s length can also grow under the terms.<\/p>\n
Each Feb. 1, Meyers\u2019 contract will automatically extend another year if she scores high enough on her annual superintendent evaluation, unless the board gives written notice that it does not intend to extend the agreement.<\/p>\n
Harris said the board intends to hold Meyers accountable for the same thing driving the state intervention: improving student performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s all about changing what\u2019s happened from an academic performance standpoint in the Lake Worth community over the previous years,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
The contract calls for the board and Meyers to develop a separate performance incentive plan tied to the district\u2019s annual goals. That compensation has not been set. The agreement must be amended with the details and annual funding for the plan by Dec. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those goals are meant to be specific and measurable, Harris said, and will become a way for the board to track Meyers\u2019 performance throughout the school year rather than waiting for year-end results.<\/p>\n
He pointed to goals involving third- and eighth-grade math and reading and college, career and military readiness. The district will use its 2026 STAAR results as a baseline and monitor whether students are making progress toward the targets, Harris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe superintendent is going to be held accountable just like everybody else,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be held accountable as a board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meyers echoed that expectation, saying she is responsible for providing the leadership, support and systems necessary for schools and students to be successful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meyers also will receive the same percentage raise given to district administrators and any one-time payments approved for them. Separate from the 11% in additional compensation, the district will cover retirement contributions that otherwise would come out of her pay.<\/p>\n
How Meyers\u2019 deal compares<\/p>\n
Meyers\u2019 $240,000 base salary is $18,000 more than the $222,000 salary former Superintendent Mark Ramirez received.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ramirez\u2019s three-year agreement began July 1, 2025, and was scheduled to end June 30, 2028, before he resigned March 13<\/a> as Lake Worth ISD prepared for the state takeover. Like Meyers, Ramirez was to receive additional pay covering the retirement contributions that otherwise would have come out of his paycheck.<\/p>\n His agreement did not include the additional 11% compensation or a performance bonus contained in Meyers\u2019 contract.<\/p>\n Lake Worth ISD approved Ramirez\u2019s contract in May 2025, but his three-year term as superintendent did not begin until July 1. In the meantime, the agreement allowed him to work for the district as a consultant for $925 per day, with the district also covering reasonable travel costs.<\/p>\n Rose Mary Neshyba, the superintendent before Ramirez, received\u00a0 $208,060 in base salary. Her contract ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027. Neshyba retired June 30, 2025, less than a year after signing and two years before the contract was set to expire.<\/p>\n Neshyba also received $19,442.48 annually in longevity pay, bringing those two forms of compensation to $227,502.48 per year. Her contract said the additional payment was intended to reward continuity of leadership.<\/p>\n Meyers\u2019 base salary is $31,940 higher than Neshyba\u2019s.<\/p>\n The contracts also differ on vacation. Meyers receives 20 vacation days each contract year and can be paid for as many as 15 unused days at the end of the year.<\/p>\n Ramirez was guaranteed at least 10 vacation days, or the same number given to other administrators if that amount was higher. His contract allowed him to convert up to five unused days into pay each year.<\/p>\n Neshyba received the district\u2019s standard vacation allowance for administrators plus five additional days each year. Any unused additional days were paid out at her daily rate.<\/p>\n In a statement, LWISD communications director Noah Ceballos said Meyers\u2019 contract was developed with both her predecessor\u2019s compensation and the \u201cunique leadership responsibilities\u201d of the state intervention in mind. Performance-based components reflect the expectation that Meyers produce measurable progress, Ceballos said.<\/p>\n The differences in Meyers\u2019 agreement reflect the board\u2019s expectation that she install the systems and processes needed to produce steady academic gains during the intervention, Harris said.<\/p>\n The board plans to regularly review interim academic data and ask Meyers and campus leaders how students are progressing, Harris said. He compared the approach to a business monitoring goals throughout the year.<\/p>\n Meyers\u2019 contract says her first annual evaluation must occur by Oct. 1. Her evaluation is based on the district\u2019s progress toward goals developed by Meyers and the board of managers \u2014 the same goals that will ultimately determine how much she can earn through the performance bonus.<\/p>\n Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.<\/p>\n