Alamo Colleges chancellor has a new contract

After a split board vote over a compensation package, Alamo Colleges trustees and Chancellor Bruce Leslie signed a renewed contract last week giving Leslie a 6 percent raise, a one-year extension and an increase in his automobile and technology allotments.

Leslie has a rolling three-year contract, subject to revision every year based on a performance evaluation, trustees said. The contract signed last week begins Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31, 2019. Leslie’s new salary is $403,123.

His automobile allowance has increased from $1,000 to $1,500 per month, according to the contract. Leslie was receiving a cellphone allowance of $60 per month, but the new contract increased that to $166 per month for cellphone, computer and other technology expenses.

“I think he’s done a good job, and with that he needs to be rewarded accordingly,” said Denver McClendon, the board’s assistant secretary, who voted in favor of the contract and signed it Wednesday along with board chairwoman Yvonne Katz.

Two trustees, Anna Bustamante and Clint Kingsbery, voted against the contract Tuesday. They have been most openly critical of Leslie, but both said they felt that he was doing a good job running the district of five community colleges. Bustamante and Kingsbery both said they balked at the financial terms of the contract.

Leslie has ranked among the highest-paid community college chancellors in the country, earning him and the board of trustees criticism.

“I feel very strongly on just being conservative with our taxpayer dollars,” Bustamante said. “He’s compensated quite generously.”

Kingsbery disagreed with the increases to Leslie’s auto and technology allotments and said he was concerned that those constituted a raise beyond the 6 percent increase in base pay.

“My vote wasn’t against his entire performance,” Kingsbery said. “It was against the way it was worded in the contract. It didn’t have the right kind of transparency.”

Trustees said they decided on Leslie’s pay and benefits after researching the compensation for leaders of other large community college districts in Texas.

“Our philosophy is to keep him competitive,” McClendon said. “If you compare his benefit package with those other chancellors, it’s pretty much in line, I think.”

Leslie did not return a message, left last week through the district’s media office, seeking comment.

Leslie received a positive performance evaluation, trustees said. Board members on both sides of the contract vote praised him for increasing graduation rates and for working to ensure that more students are able to transfer their credits to four-year institutions.

Faculty, students and community members — including donors — had criticized Leslie after he spent much of Palo Alto College’s spring commencement ceremony on his cellphone rather than congratulating students as they crossed the stage. Katz said she verbally reprimanded him after that incident, but trustees said it was not reflected in his evaluation or the terms of his contract.

Leslie will reach his 10-year anniversary in November as chancellor.