Several Central Texas school districts are loosening the purse strings to approve pay raises for their educators and staff in the face of budget challenges. Georgetown ISD and Del Valle ISD are the latest to join the ranks, following similar moves by other districts such as Round Rock and Pflugerville. Georgetown's increase lifts starting teacher salaries to $56,500 and gives a 3.5% raise to teachers and librarians, according to a KXAN report. Del Valle is not far behind with a 3% raise across the board and starting teacher salaries reaching $59,600 as confirmed in their press release.
Chalking up to competition, these hikes are putative to ensure the attraction and retention of top talent. "Increasing compensation for our teachers and staff has been a priority of the board this spring," Elizabeth McFarland, president of the GISD board, told KXAN. Similarly, Del Valle is determined to firmly maintain its leading stance on teacher salaries, with Acting Superintendent Jonathan Harris stating, "Del Valle leads the region in teacher salaries, and this increase gives us a major recruiting tool as we search for the best candidates to join our community," as reported by KVUE.
The rounds of pay raise approvals do not end here. San Marcos CISD approved a 3% raise, upping the starting salary to $55,000 a year, while Dripping Springs ISD cautiously greenlit a 1% increase across all pay grades. Tax rate elections, known as VATREs, are also on the discussion table for some districts as a potential solution to raise revenue for future salary boosts. Nonetheless, financial clouds linger as Anne Halsey, president of the San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees, warned that without exploring these options, they may face difficulties in providing any pay increases next year.
Amid these decisions, the backdrop is a stagnant state basic allotment stuck at $6,160 per student since 2019. With no recent increases, school districts struggle to balance budgets and keep up with market demands for quality education staffing. Some Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for Gov. Greg Abbott to reconvene a special legislative session to address school funding, a call seemingly underscored by the districts' moves to now uncompromisingly endorse better compensation for their workforce.
