Lago Vista ISD gave new leader $60,000 for move, home, paper says

On Nov. 17, 2025, the Lago Vista school board voted 7 to 0 to approve a contract for its new superintendent, Dr. Mindy Curran. The minutes do not list the contract's pay or other terms.¹ The Austin American-Statesman later reported that the district gave Curran $10,000 in cash for her move and $50,000 to help purchase a home in the district.² That is $60,000 in one-time help, and the minutes do not show which fund paid it.^1,2

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A stack of blank pay envelopes frozen inside a block of ice on a frosted classroom desk beside a red apple, while moving boxes tied with navy ribbon wait on a hand truck in the sunlit doorway. AI illustration, not a real Lago Vista classroom. — Frozen pay envelopes and moving boxes, not a real Lago Vista classroom. AI illustration. Image credits.

Eight months later, on July 13, 2026, the board voted 7 to 0, on a motion by Trustee Richard Raley, for a 2026-27 pay plan that the minutes say "essentially freezes salaries."³ One yearly step raise for teachers would have cost about $130,000, the district's finance chief told the board.⁴ The minutes do not say whether the freeze covers administrators.³

Percentages, changes, and comparisons in this story are our calculations from the cited records.

Who sets pay at the school district

Lago Vista Independent School District (LVISD) is run by a board of seven trustees.⁵ The board hires the superintendent and votes on the superintendent's contract.¹ It also votes on a compensation plan, the pay rules for staff.³

A step is a scheduled raise on a pay scale for each added year of experience.⁴

What our earlier story found

Our earlier story on the pay freeze told how the board froze 2026-27 pay and adopted a budget with a projected General Fund deficit of about $895,000.⁶ Payroll is about 74% of the General Fund budget after recapture, the payment the district sends to the state.^6,7

In 2025-26, about 3/4 of district staff received an $8,000 raise, the finance chief told the board.³ A new state allotment, money the state gives a district for each eligible teacher, pays districts of 5,000 or fewer students $8,000 for each teacher with five or more years of experience. It pays $4,000 for each teacher with three or four years.⁸ This story looks at what the district pays its leaders, and what the records show about their pay.

2023 to 2025, what the leaders earned

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) reports each superintendent's pay every October.⁹ Base pay is salary alone, before bonuses, stipends, and perks such as a car allowance.² TEA listed Superintendent Darren Webb's base pay at $182,468 in October 2023 and $204,364 in October 2024.^10,11

TEA's 2024-25 staff report put average teacher base pay at $59,382.¹²

The state's Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) for 2024-25 counted 6.0 central administration staff, or 3.2% of all staff. Statewide, central administration was 1.2% of staff.¹³ TEA's glossary defines central administration as superintendents, business managers, athletic directors, and other administrators based at the central office, not at a school.¹⁴

General administration is one of the spending categories in state finance data, listed apart from instruction and school leadership. The data put general administration at 4.08% of the district's 2024-25 operating spending from all funds. The state average was 3.27%. General administration spending came to $942,180, or $503 per student.¹⁵

June to October 2025, a retirement and a search

On June 10, 2025, the board announced that Webb would retire effective June 30, 2026. At its July 14 regular meeting, the board voted to hire the firm Leon | Alcala to help with the search, the district said. The records we found do not give that vote count or the firm's cost.¹⁶

On Sept. 17, the board met to review 51 applicants and pick candidates to interview. Interviews ran from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2.¹⁶

TEA's October 2025 report showed Webb's base pay at $214,582.⁹ The 2025-26 staff report put average teacher base pay at $65,838, up 10.9%.¹⁷ The state-paid teacher raises began that year.⁸

Assistant, associate, or deputy superintendents averaged $136,900, up 10.0% from $124,455. Principals averaged $98,819, up 3.4% from $95,578. TEA's report also lists one business manager at $133,958, up 10.5% from $121,229.^12,17 The report does not name that person.¹⁷

Job group	2024-25 average	2025-26 average	Change
Teachers	$59,382	$65,838	10.9%
Assistant, associate, or deputy superintendents	$124,455	$136,900	10.0%
Business manager (one person)	$121,229	$133,958	10.5%
Principals	$95,578	$98,819	3.4%
Superintendent	$204,364	$214,582	5.0%

Some of these groups have only one to four people, so a change in who holds a job can move an average.¹⁷

The state's new retention allotments help districts pay and keep teachers and support staff, and they did not cover these leaders. TEA's letter says the teacher allotment does not include a full-time administrator. The support staff allotment lists assistant superintendents and principals as ineligible.⁸ The records we found do not show what paid for their raises.¹⁷

October and November 2025, the board hires Curran

On Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, the board held a regular meeting. Trustee Kevin Walker moved, and Trustee Greg Zaleski seconded, to name Curran the lone finalist, the one candidate the board planned to hire. Trustees Isai Arredondo, Richard Raley, Jerrell Roque, David Scott, Walker, Laura Vincent, and Zaleski all voted yes.¹⁸

Curran was then interim superintendent of Ingram Independent School District (ISD), near San Antonio.^2,16 State law requires a 21-day wait before a board can vote to hire a lone finalist, the district said.¹⁶ The board's hiring vote came 32 days later.^1,18

On Monday, Nov. 17, the board held a public hearing and regular meeting. Trustee Laura Vincent, who was leaving the board, called the meeting to order. Zaleski moved and Raley seconded to hire Curran, and the same seven trustees voted yes.¹

Raley then moved and Arredondo seconded to approve the superintendent contract "as presented," also 7 to 0.¹

Next, the board voted 7 to 0 on a "Superintendent Emeritus Appointment for Mr. Webb." Scott moved and Walker seconded. The minutes do not define the title, list its duties, or say whether it carries pay.¹

Trustees are elected to numbered seats called places. Sara Jane Cantwell (Place 1), Michele Coronis (Place 2), and Arredondo (Place 3) were sworn in, and Vincent and Roque left the board. The new board voted 7 to 0 to make Walker its president.¹

January to April 2026, a new superintendent

The district's timeline says Curran was officially in the district on Jan. 5, 2026.¹⁶ The Jan. 12 minutes list her as superintendent.¹⁹ Webb's retirement date was still June 30, 2026, and the records we found do not show what he was paid from January to June.¹⁶

On April 9, 2026, the Statesman compared superintendent contracts in 11 Travis County school districts. It reported that Lago Vista's $200,000 base salary was the lowest of the 11.² The Statesman's $200,000 is 6.8% below the $214,582 base pay that TEA's October 2025 report listed for Webb.^2,9

The newspaper wrote that Curran "received the most comprehensive relocation package." The Statesman wrote that Curran's $50,000 "represents roughly 12.5% of the cost of the average house in Lago Vista," citing the Zillow Home Values Index.²

June to August 2026, the freeze

In January, Zaleski was still on the board, the Jan. 12, 2026 minutes show.¹⁹ By June 8, the minutes list Brian Caller as a trustee and no longer list Zaleski. The records we found do not show how that change happened.²⁰

At the June 8 meeting, a district speaker said teachers leave "because they're getting out of the profession or they're retiring or a spouse is moving."²¹

Walker, the board president, called the July 13 meeting to order at Lago Vista High School.^1,3 Jason Stoner, the district's finance chief, presented the 2026-27 compensation plan.³

He proposed that "we freeze the salary schedule so no one gets a raise." He said a step "is about $130,000" and his goal was to "pay the bills 18 months from now."⁴

A speaker at the board table asked, "are other schools also freezing?" The finance chief answered that he is in a "CFO kind of group share with neighboring school districts." He said "everyone sort of holds their cards till the very end." He said some districts were giving "what they call a 1% raise, which is essentially the step." "But for the most part, it's either going to do a step or we're not going to do anything at all," he said.⁴

The speaker then said "nobody, staff, teachers, admin, is getting a raise," and asked, "is that correct?" Another voice at the table answered, "Correct." Then a speaker said, "I understand it's an unfortunate position we're in." The video does not name the people speaking in this exchange.⁴

School board meeting, July 13, 2026, from 1:17:35 to 1:19:02 in the school district's video. Trimmed only at the start and end. Watch the full meeting from this moment. Video credits.

The minutes do not say whether the freeze covers administrators. Raley moved to approve it and Scott seconded. Trustees Arredondo, Cantwell, Caller, Coronis, Raley, Scott, and Walker voted yes.³

The board's Aug. 10 packet includes a General Fund report through July 31. It shows $801,847.29 spent on general administration payroll in 2025-26. That was 107.46% of the $746,191 budgeted for that line. The records we found do not say why.²²

On Aug. 31, the board met for a public hearing and special meeting at Lago Vista High School. It adopted the 2026-27 budget 7 to 0, as our earlier story reported. Later that night, Raley moved and Caller seconded to approve budget amendments for 2025-26, and the vote was 7 to 0. Stoner presented them, and the minutes do not list the changes.⁶

What it means for you

The Statesman's $200,000 base salary for Curran is $14,582 below Webb's base pay in TEA's October 2025 report.^2,9 The two figures come from different sources, and the records we found do not include her contract, so this does not show what the district saves. The records we found do not show what Webb's emeritus title paid, or what any administrator earns in 2026-27.¹

Our earlier story reported the district's 26.9% teacher turnover in 2024-25.¹³ A 2017 report by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), a research group, used national data. It found that teachers in districts with a top salary over $72,000 were 20% to 31% less likely to leave than those where the top salary was under $60,000.²³

A 2011 study of New York City schools by Matthew Ronfeldt, Hamilton Lankford, Susanna Loeb, and James Wyckoff found that students in grades with more teacher turnover scored lower in English language arts and math.²⁴ Comparing Lago Vista with neighboring districts, Stoner told the board that "from year eight on we're really competitive."^3,4

Stoner told the board the district expanded eligibility for the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) so all staff will be eligible.³ The TIA is state money for teachers a district designates at set performance levels.²⁵ The minutes say 2026-27 is a data collection year, with payouts in 2027-28.³ TEA lists amounts from $3,000 to $36,000, depending on the level.²⁵

The school tax rate has two parts, and one is the maintenance and operations (M&O) rate. State law requires a voter-approval tax rate election (VATRE) when a board sets its M&O rate above the state's rate, and voters must approve the difference. Lago Vista voters passed one on Nov. 7, 2023, which the district said would bring in about $800,000 for raises and safety.⁷

Taxable value is the amount a tax rate applies to, and it can be lower than market value. One cent of tax rate on this year's $3,384,335,333 in taxable value comes to about $338,433, before money sent back to the state. The average home had a market value of $528,521 and a taxable value of $263,384. On the average taxable home value of $263,384, one cent is about $26 a year.²⁶

What we could not find

The signed contract for Curran and the date and fund of each moving or home payment.¹
Stoner's pay for 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27, and who approved any change.³
The 2026-27 pay schedule for administrators and whether the July 13 plan covers them.³
Webb's emeritus agreement and what it paid from January to June 2026.¹
The search firm's cost and the vote that hired it.¹⁶
The reason general administration payroll passed its 2025-26 budget line.²²
How and when Brian Caller joined the board.²⁰

What you can do

Ask the district in writing, under the Texas Public Information Act, for the superintendent contract and each payment toward Curran's move and home, with dates, amounts, and fund codes.²
Ask for Stoner's and other administrators' 2026-27 pay, and who approved each change.³
Ask for the 2026-27 administrator pay schedules and the July 13 compensation plan document.³
Ask for Webb's Superintendent Emeritus agreement, what it paid from January to June 2026, and the search firm's invoices and the vote that hired it.¹
Ask why general administration payroll ran past its 2025-26 budget line.²²
Ask for the board record that seated Brian Caller.²⁰
Send requests to the district at 8039 Bar-K Ranch Road, Lago Vista, or call the district's main line, (512) 267-8300.¹⁶ Allow extra time, because the board named 10 days in 2026 that do not count toward the deadline for answering.¹⁹
Speak to the board during public participation, which is on regular meeting agendas such as July 13's.³
Vote on Nov. 3, 2026, when trustee Places 4 and 5 are on the ballot, according to the election order in the Aug. 10 board packet.²²

Podcast transcript

Read the transcript

Host 1. This is the Lago Vista Watchdog briefing. The two voices you are hearing are AI generated. Every fact in this episode is sourced in the full story on our website, and a person validates each story before it is published.

Host 2. Here is the bottom line. On November 17, 2025, the Lago Vista school board voted 7 to 0 to approve a contract for its new superintendent, Doctor Mindy Curran, according to the board's minutes. The minutes do not list the contract's pay or other terms.

Host 1. The Austin American-Statesman later reported that the district gave Curran 10,000 dollars in cash for her move and 50,000 dollars to help buy a home in the district. That is 60,000 dollars in one-time help. The minutes do not show which fund paid it.

Host 2. Eight months later, on July 13, 2026, the board voted 7 to 0, on a motion by Trustee Richard Raley, for a pay plan that the minutes say essentially freezes salaries for 2026-27. The finance chief told the board that one step raise for teachers would cost about 130,000 dollars.

Host 1. The minutes do not say whether the freeze covers administrators.

Host 2. Some background. The school district is run by a board of seven trustees. The board hires the superintendent and votes on the superintendent's contract. It also votes on a compensation plan, which sets pay rules for staff. A step is a scheduled raise for each added year of experience.

Host 1. Our earlier story covered the pay freeze and the budget. This episode looks at what the district pays its leaders.

Host 2. Start with the years before the change. State reports from the Texas Education Agency listed Superintendent Darren Webb's base pay at 182,468 dollars in October 2023 and 204,364 dollars in October 2024.

Host 1. The state's 2024-25 performance report counted six central administration staff, or 3.2 percent of all district staff. Statewide, that share was 1.2 percent.

Host 2. State finance data put general administration at 4.08 percent of the district's 2024-25 operating spending. The state average was 3.27 percent. That came to 942,180 dollars.

Host 1. Then the search. On June 10, 2025, the board announced that Webb would retire effective June 30, 2026, according to the district's news page. The district says the board hired the firm Leon Alcala to help with the search. The records we found do not show what the firm cost.

Host 2. The district says the board reviewed 51 applicants in September and held interviews from September 23 to October 2.

Host 1. That October, the state's salary report showed Webb's base pay at 214,582 dollars. Average teacher base pay rose 10.9 percent that year, to 65,838 dollars, as the state-paid teacher raises began.

Host 2. Some leaders' averages rose too. Assistant, associate, or deputy superintendents averaged 136,900 dollars, up 10 percent. Principals averaged 98,819 dollars, up 3.4 percent. The state report also lists one business manager at 133,958 dollars, up 10.5 percent. The report does not name that person.

Host 1. The state's retention money did not cover these leaders, according to a Texas Education Agency letter. The records we found do not show what paid for their raises.

Host 2. On October 16, 2025, the board voted 7 to 0 to name Curran the lone finalist, the one candidate it planned to hire. Trustee Kevin Walker made the motion, and Trustee Greg Zaleski seconded it. Curran was then interim superintendent of Ingram, near San Antonio.

Host 1. On November 17, Zaleski moved and Trustee Richard Raley seconded to hire her, and the vote was 7 to 0. Raley then moved and Trustee Isai Arredondo seconded to approve her contract as presented, also 7 to 0. The minutes do not list the contract's terms.

Host 2. The same night, the board voted 7 to 0 to name Webb Superintendent Emeritus. The minutes do not say what that title involves or whether it carries pay. Then new trustees Sara Jane Cantwell and Michele Coronis were sworn in, two trustees left, and the board voted 7 to 0 to make Kevin Walker its president.

Host 1. The district says Curran was officially in the district on January 5, 2026. Webb's retirement date was still June 30. The records we found do not show what he was paid from January to June.

Host 2. On April 9, 2026, the Statesman compared superintendent contracts in 11 Travis County school districts. It reported that Lago Vista's 200,000 dollar base salary was the lowest of the 11. That is 6.8 percent below the base pay the state's October 2025 report listed for Webb.

Host 1. The paper also wrote that Curran received the most comprehensive relocation package.

Host 2. Then came the freeze. At the June 8 meeting, a district speaker said teachers are leaving because they're getting out of the profession, retiring, or a spouse is moving. At the July 13 meeting, finance chief Jason Stoner presented the 2026-27 compensation plan. On the video, he proposed to freeze the salary schedule so no one gets a raise. He said a step is about 130,000 dollars, and that his goal was to pay the bills 18 months from now.

Host 1. A speaker at the board table asked whether other schools were also freezing. The finance chief said that for the most part, it's either going to do a step or nothing at all. The speaker then asked whether nobody, staff, teachers, or admin, was getting a raise. Another voice at the table answered, correct. The minutes do not say whether the freeze covers administrators. Raley moved to approve the plan, Trustee David Scott seconded, and all seven trustees voted yes.

Host 2. The board's August 10 packet shows 801,847 dollars spent on general administration payroll in 2025-26. That was about 107 percent of what was budgeted for that line. The records we found do not say why.

Host 1. So what does this mean for you? The Statesman's 200,000 dollar figure for Curran is 14,582 dollars below Webb's base pay in the state's October 2025 report. The two come from different sources, so this does not show what the district saves. The records we found do not show what Webb's emeritus title paid, or what any administrator earns in 2026-27.

Host 2. Our earlier story reported the district's 26.9 percent teacher turnover in 2024-25. A 2017 report by the Learning Policy Institute, a research group, found that teachers in districts with a top salary over 72,000 dollars were 20 to 31 percent less likely to leave than those where the top salary was under 60,000 dollars. A study of New York City schools found that students in grades with more teacher turnover scored lower in English and math.

Host 1. Comparing Lago Vista with neighboring districts, Stoner told the board that from year eight on, the district is really competitive, according to the meeting video.

Host 2. Stoner also told the board the district expanded eligibility for the Teacher Incentive Allotment, so all staff will be eligible, according to the minutes. That is state money for teachers a district designates at set performance levels. The minutes say 2026-27 is a data collection year, with payouts in 2027-28.

Host 1. Voters also have a say on school taxes. A voter-approval tax rate election is required when a board sets its maintenance and operations rate above the state's rate. Lago Vista voters passed one on November 7, 2023, and the district said it would bring in about 800,000 dollars for raises and safety. One cent of tax rate this year comes to about 338,433 dollars, before money sent back to the state. On the average home's taxable value, one cent is about 26 dollars a year.

Host 2. Here is what we could not find. The signed contract, and the date and fund of each moving or home payment. Stoner's pay and who approved any change. The 2026-27 pay schedule for administrators. And Webb's emeritus agreement.

Host 1. Here is how you can weigh in. You can ask the district in writing, under the Texas Public Information Act, for the superintendent contract, the moving and home payments, and administrator pay for 2026-27. You can speak at a board meeting during public participation. And you can vote on November 3, 2026, when Places 4 and 5 are on the ballot.

Host 2. The full story, with every source, is on our website. Thanks for listening.

Sources and documents

Every fact in this story comes from the records below. The small numbers in the story point to them. Links go to the exact moment in the meeting video or the page in the document.

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