Katy ISD leader nets 2 years’ pay
Deal upon exit in January shown in revised contract
Katy ISD’s polarizing superintendent will receive two years’ pay — exceeding $750,000 — when he steps down in January, according to an amended contract released by the school district Friday.
Lance Hindt, once a revered leader, will retire Jan. 1. His announcement comes just two months after a junior high classmate took the podium at a board meeting to accuse the superintendent of bullying four decades earlier — statements that the school board voted Thursday to challenge on Hindt’s behalf by hiring the law firm Feldman and Feldman for
a possible defamation lawsuit.
“A lot of people felt like his resignation was the right way to go on this,” said Bob Sanborn, CEO of Children at Risk. “If there wasn’t going to be a resignation, the district should have encouraged him to go. By them continuing to pay for two years after this, sort of shows the continuing mismanagement on part of the school board.”
The amended contract notes that "the District will, consistent with the original provision of the Contract, pay the Superintendent, as of January 1, 2019, an amount equal to two years of his base salary rate then in effect."
A unanimous vote
Hindt, 53, is the fifth highest paid superintendent in Texas with base pay of $386,850 , according to data compiled by the Texas Education Agency in October 2017. When Hindt was hired, his annual salary was set at $375,000. The contract amendment was voted on unanimously by board members during the meeting.
The school district has been plagued with controversy since Katy resident Greg Gay accused Hindt of bullying him in high school. The accusation rocked the 77,000-student district and put a stain on the star superintendent's reputation. A civil suit also surfaced from 1983, in which a Houston-area man said he was assaulted by then-18-year-old Hindt after an altercation following a party.
Hindt most recently was accused of plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation at the University of Houston.
“Had he been standing there last night, I would’ve hugged that man and told him that I am sorry,” said Gay. “This is not what this was about.”
A spokeswoman for the district declined to to comment Friday, stating that questions regarding the contract amendment should be directed to school board members. School board president Ashley Vann did not respond to questions sent through email, and another board member did not respond to a request for comment.
As part of his contract amendment, the district agreed to retain special outside counsel to pursue legal action on the superintendent’s behalf “on account of the damage to his reputation and interference with his employment caused by defamatory statements made or published by a third party or parties.”
"It's time for this to come to an end," Vann said at the board meeting. "It's time to defend ourselves."
Hindt will have to reimburse the school district for 50 percent of the legal fees up to $25,000, according to the amended contract.
Hindt said at Thursday’s meeting that the accusations have been hard on his wife and children. He called leading the school district his "highest professional honor."
Getting threats
The superintendent and school board members have received threats of violence since the accusations surfaced.
“It’s absolutely horrifying to me because those people are doing exactly what I’m trying to fight against,” Gay said about the threats. “It’s maddening, absolutely maddening.”
Board members and parents have praised Hindt for his leadership, describing him as a compassionate, intelligent and humble person who has led the school district through a hurricane, a successful bond election and construction of a controversial, top-dollar football stadium in less than two years at the helm.
In a written response to questions last month, Hindt said he wanted to move past the allegations.
“I want to focus on moving our district ahead, to keep it not only the best in Texas, but the best in the nation. I’ve been heartened by the support I have received, in person, in texts, emails and in phone calls,” he wrote in April. “This is an amazing community and the parents, staff, students and community members have showed me that every day.”
Sanborn said the school district should focus on picking a new superintendent that can push the school district forward.
“You have to feel for the citizens of Katy and the kids because this has all been such a distraction, but what you hope is there’s a focus on how do we make this school board better, how do we bring a good superintendent, how do we move on,” said Sanborn.