Fort Worth ISD trustees modified Superintendent Karen Molinar’s contract Tuesday evening but did not detail what was included in the change.
Trustees altered a longevity pay provision in Molinar’s contract that allows her to earn up to $100,000 if she’s in her role over a three-year period. The board updated how that long-term compensation is delivered, FWISD spokesperson Jessica Becerra said Wednesday.
FWISD trustees voted 8-1 after meeting behind closed doors for more than an hour on Dec 9. Trustee Camille Rodriguez was the sole dissenter. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The change does not provide Molinar with additional compensation nor extend her term as superintendent, Becerra said.
“By taking this action, the board reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility and honoring the superintendent’s current contract while serving the best interests of the district and our community,” she said.
The provision requires FWISD to award Molinar $33,334 annually for her “successful, long-term service” to the district, according to her March contract. The money is deposited into an account that will be transferred to Molinar on June 30, 2028.
Molinar gains a 33% ownership stake of the account each year starting July 1. Any funds that aren’t transferred revert to the district if the superintendent is no longer employed by the end of the three-year period.
How the provision was changed is unclear.
Trustees did not explain how or why they modified Molinar’s contract during Tuesday’s meeting. Trustee Tobi Jackson moved to approve the change “as discussed in closed session.”
Voting without disclosing what is being considered is no different than taking the vote during a closed session, said Joe Larsen, a Houston-based media lawyer and board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.
“At a minimum, they need to actually state what they’re voting on instead of making reference to what we talked about that you guys don’t know,” Larsen said.
Fort Worth ISD trustees’ move is not uncommon among Texas elected officials, Larsen said.
The school board has discussed Molinar’s contract since late October. Last year, FWISD trustees twice voted without disclosing changes to a previous superintendent’s contract.
Molinar’s contract modification comes as Texas takes control of the 67,500-student district.
As part of the takeover, state Education Commissioner Mike Morath will appoint a superintendent to lead the district through an academic turnaround.
Molinar is a candidate in the nationwide superintendent search that is expected to culminate in an appointment sometime during the spring semester, Morath has said.
What is the long-term service pay provision?
Superintendent Karen Molinar’s contract includes a longevity pay that awards her $33,334 annually for a three-year period for each year she is in the role at Fort Worth ISD. Here’s what the provision states in her contract:
As a reward for successful, long-term service to the District, and as an inducement to continue in that service, the District shall deposit the sum of Thirty-Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty-Four and No/100 ($33,334.00) Dollars per year into a deferred compensation plan selected by the Superintendent starting on July 1, 2025, for a period of three years. If the Superintendent is still employed by the District on June 30, 2028, the annuity, any earnings thereon and its ownership shall be transferred into the name of the Superintendent. However, the Superintendent shall become vested in the account at the rate of 33.34% per year so that at the end of the third year the Superintendent shall have 100% ownership of the account. The vesting period will begin on July 1, 2025. Any unvested funds in the account will revert to the District if the Superintendent ceases to be employed in the capacity of Superintendent before June 30, 2028.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
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