Dallas schools superintendent salary bumped to $375,000

Dallas schools Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde will receive a contract extension and a $37,000 salary bump that makes her pay more competitive with other top administrators in the state.

A copy of the amended agreement, provided to, shows Elizalde’s new base salary will be $375,000 and extends her leadership of Texas’ second-largest district through 2028.

The DISD school board voted to approve it during Thursday’s board briefing.

“This is the easiest decision I’ve made since I’ve been on the board,” board Vice President Dan Micciche said. “She is one of those leaders who takes responsibility for anything that goes wrong and gives away credit to everyone else when things go right.”

The trustees approved the contract amendment after a short debate, during which two board members expressed concerns with the process.

Trustee Joyce Foreman left the dais during the contract vote. Earlier, she said she was worried about transparency and noted that the process was rushed. She also was concerned the contract was voted on during a board briefing, which is held during the day. Board meetings are held at night and usually have higher attendance.

Board members must “do a better job of making sure that we involve the public when we have something of such high public interest,” Foreman said.

Board President Justin Henry defended the trustees’ process for awarding the new contract. He added it would have created too much uncertainty if the trustees waited to extend Elizalde’s term.

Other trustees echoed his reasoning. They said an organization the size of Dallas ISD — with a $2 billion budget and thousands of staff members — needs stability and vision.

Elizalde said she looks to finishing the job of ensuring every DISD student gets a high-quality education and is ready for college or a career.

“I really value the confidence the board has in my leadership and in our team,” she said after the meeting.

Elizalde was hired in June 2022 and given a three-year contract, with a base salary of $338,000. She had the opportunity to earn a sliding raise of up to 4% based on annual evaluation scores.

Elizalde, who previously was a top administrator in DISD, was brought on at a lower salary than her predecessor, Michael Hinojosa. He earned close to $352,000 annually. He left DISD after more than a decade leading the district over two stints.

Some other area superintendents, who lead smaller districts, earn more than Elizalde’s original salary. That includes Frisco’s Mike Waldrip, hired in 2017, and Duncanville’s Marc Smith, who has served in his post since 2016.

The median salary for a school superintendent in the state this year is $150,000, according to an annual survey by the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators Superintendent. It included participation from nearly three-quarters of Texas districts.

The survey found wide variation in median salaries based on district size, ranging from $112,466 in districts enrolling fewer than 500 students to $349,600 in those with 50,000 or more students.

DISD is home to roughly 140,000 students.

During her tenure, Elizalde pledged that DISD will stop “teaching to the test” and implemented a rigorous district-wide curriculum for reading and math lessons. She has begun revamping high school programming to free up resources for more counselors.

Trustees praised her commitment to racial equity and improving academics.

Elizalde was also an outspoken presence during tense 2023 legislative sessions, during which public school funding was a flashpoint.

Gov. Greg Abbott made education savings accounts a priority. Elizalde and other superintendents stood firmly against the voucherlike initiative, which would have funneled state money toward private school tuition.

Elizalde and others said public school systems are in desperate need of additional state money to combat inflation, as well as to pay for teacher raises and safety upgrades.

Ultimately, Abbott’s priority ESA legislation failed, alongside a bill to boost public school funding that could have supported teacher salary increases.

It’s unclear at this point in the budget cycle how the Legislature’s actions will affect DISD’s decisions around educator raises next year.

“While I’m very supportive of our superintendent and believe she earns every penny that she makes, I expect our classroom teachers and support employees throughout the district to receive a sizable raise next year,” said Rena Honea, president of the Alliance-AFT teachers union in Dallas. “They cannot be left out of this equation.”

Correction, 8:45 p.m.: This article has been updated to reflect that Joyce Foreman was not at the dais for the vote, rather than abstaining.