SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Independent School District board voted to amend the retirement benefits in Superintendent Jaime Aquino’s contract.
According to the agenda, Aquino’s contract was one of several issues the board discussed in a closed session during an October meeting, which lasted more than four hours.
The board did not specify what amendments were made to Aquino’s contract, but KSAT obtained a copy of the amended contract through a public records request.
Aquino’s contract states that Aquino could buy service credit under the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
For each contract year, the district agreed to pay up to 15% of Aquino’s salary for his purchase of service credit.
Under the changes, if the contribution is insufficient to buy the credit, SAISD would be responsible for paying the difference.
In an email, spokeswoman Laura Short said the change was made “to provide greater clarity on the original intent of the clause.”
The amendment came one week after KSAT Investigates highlighted a personal development coach Aquino negotiated into his contract.
Under the contract, the district agreed to pay up to three of the coach’s trips per year to and from San Antonio. The district said there have been no expenses tied to the coach.
KSAT Investigates requested a contract for the coach, receipts tied to the travel, and emails and texts between Aquino and the coach.
SAISD has asked the state to keep those records private, saying they are not public information.
The last time the board amended Aquino’s contract was in December 2023, according to agendas.
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Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
