IDEA Public Schools co-founder getting $900K severance following resignation

IDEA Public Schools co-founder Tom Torkelson will receive $900,000 as part of a separation agreement reached last month, when he resigned as CEO after a two-decade run with the state’s largest charter school operator, according to a copy of the deal obtained Friday.

The amount far exceeds the annual salary of Texas’ highest-paid school leaders, who typically earned $300,000 to $450,000. Torkelson’s base salary on his four-year contract with IDEA, which had two-plus years left on it, called for an annual salary of $275,000 and performance bonuses of up to $200,000.

IDEA officials said Torkelson also received a similar amount of compensation from IPS Enterprises, a nonprofit offshoot of the charter network, bringing his total annual payment close to the $900,000 settlement amount. IPS Enterprises was formed to assist the charter’s expansion nationally and does not receive taxpayer funds, relying in large part on private donations.

In the separation agreement, obtained through a public records request, IDEA leaders and Torkelson said the deal was reached “to avoid a protracted dispute process, to avoid extensive legal expenses and costs including litigation costs that might otherwise be incurred, to preserve needed philanthrophy to IDEA and to resolve any and all disputes with finality.”

“With respect to the transition of Tom Torkelson as CEO and Executive Chair of IDEA Public Schools, the IDEA board and Tom worked earnestly to facilitate an orderly transition,” IDEA Board Chairman Al Lopez wrote in a letter to IDEA affiliates.

“With the assistance of professional advisers, counsel and a respected independent facilitator, an agreement was reached whereby IDEA Public Schools will pay Tom $900,000 to facilitate this transition.”

IDEA officials said the payout will come from public and private funds, though they did not specify an exact breakdown.

The charter’s leaders do not expect the $900,000 amount will trigger a Texas law that requires state officials to dock payment of taxpayer funds to districts that pay out more than a year’s worth of salary and benefits in severance to a superintendent. The law specificies only that independent school districts are subject to the provision.

Most recently, the Texas Education Agency docked Katy ISD by $513,754 after reaching a settlement agreement totaling $955,795 with former superintendent Lance Hindt.

Torkelson drew widespread praise from charter advocates and other education leaders during his tenure building IDEA, which operates 91 schools in Texas, including in San Antonio, with a combined enrollment of 49,500 students. IDEA also operates five campuses in Louisiana.

But Torkelson’s leadership came under fire in the months before his resignation after the disclosure of plans to lease a private jet and costs totaling $400,000 associated with the luxury boxes and event tickets.

Immediately following his resignation, Torkelson said he believed there was “100 percent unanimity that this was the right call for the organization at this time.” IDEA board members selected co-founder and superintendent JoAnn Gama as Torkelson’s replacement.

Torkelson did not respond to a request for comment.