Not one to temper her opinion, Houston school board member Carol Mims Galloway let loose another volley this week.

“The board has no responsibility for hiring or the salaries district employees make,” said Galloway, who is not running for reelection for her District II seat. “The board delegated all that authority to the superintendent. Jason Spencer is wrong. He does not know what’s going on.”

Galloway called Texas Watchdog after reading a statement made by the Houston Independent School District spokesman in Monday’s story about HISD’s $10 million annual communications department budget.

Spencer said in that story the board approved the $185,000 salary earned by HISD communications chief Aggie Alvez.

Galloway told Texas Watchdog last week that she was offended that Alvez made more than HISD’s legal-department chief, Elneita Hutchins-Taylor, who earns $176,000.

Spencer apologized in an e-mail to Texas Watchdog for providing incorrect information about the board’s vote on Alvez’s salary.

“The board voted 6-0 (Ms. Galloway wasn’t present) on April 29, 2010 to make the chief communications officer eligible for performance pay,” Spencer wrote. “The board does not vote on individuals’ salaries, other than the superintendent’s.”

That made more sense to Trustee Anna Eastman, who also was puzzled by Spencer’s claim in Monday’s story.

“We do not approve specific hires,” said Eastman, who represents HISD’s District I. “We do not vote on specific salaries, but we do vote on bonus amounts or ranges.”

Alvez arrived last year from the Montgomery County public schools in Rockville, Md.

Trustee Harvin Moore said that the board is not involved in the selection of personnel hires.

“Some board members want to be involved in the selection process, but they are reminded by our lawyer (David Thompson) or the Superintendent (Terry Grier) that that is the superintendent’s responsibility,” Moore said.

***
Contact Mike Cronin at mike@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850. Follow him on Twitter at @michaelccronin or @texaswatchdog.

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