SOCORRO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Socorro Independent School District Superintendent James Vasquez will earn an annual salary of $285,000, according to his contract obtained by KFOX14/CBS4.
This figure is approximately $50,000 less than what the district paid its former superintendent, Dr. Nate Carman, during the first year of his contract. Carman was later placed on leave following allegations that he directed contracts to a company with which he had a relationship.
Vasquez had been serving as interim superintendent since April of last year and was officially appointed as the permanent superintendent last week, following his tenure as interim for over a year.
The decision comes as the district reports an improved financial outlook.
While the specifics of Vasquez’s contract previously remained undisclosed, his previous contract as interim superintendent paid him $230,000 annually.
Comparatively, superintendents in other El Paso districts, such as the recently departed Diana Sayavedra from the El Paso Independent School District and Xavier De La Torre of Ysleta Independent School District, earned $320,000 and $442,000, respectively.
Vasquez has been credited with overseeing SISD’s financial recovery, transforming a projected $38 million budget deficit into a surplus for the upcoming year.
This turnaround involved encouraging voluntary departures, eliminating elementary school fine arts programs, and laying off numerous employees.
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