District administration presented their recommendation for the 2% pay increase at an April 25 board of trustees meeting as the district projects a $15 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25.
What you need to know
The recommended compensation plan would provide a 2% pay raise for 5,770 staff members totaling $6.65 million in compensation increases. Additional stipends and salary scale changes would raise the district’s total increase in compensation to $8.23 million for the 2024-25 school year.
The proposed raise is lower than previous school years as the board approved a 4% pay raise for the 2023-24 school year and 5% raise for teachers for 2022-23.
The district is projecting a $15 million budget shortfall for FY 2024-25 compared to the $6.5 million shortfall adopted by the board for FY 2023-24, which has since been reduced to $1.5 million, Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape said.
District officials also considered the costs associated with 3%, 3.5% and 4% pay raises. A 4% pay raise would place the district in a stronger position to compete with other districts but would require much higher costs than the district’s budget assumptions for FY 2024-25, Chief Human Resources Officer Karie Lynn Eggeling said.
Most districts in the area are projected to adopt a 2% pay increase, except for Georgetown ISD, which is expected to increase pay by 4.3%, and Round Rock ISD, which will increase pay by 1%, she said.
With a 2% pay increase, LISD teacher salaries would be behind those in several districts, including Georgetown and Pflugerville ISDs, district data shows.
LISD teachers are projected to make the following next school year, resulting in an average teacher salary of $61,415:
- $56,687 for first-time teachers
- $57,613 for five years of experience
- $59,864 for 10 years of experience
- $62,259 for 15 years of experience
- $64,519 for 20 years of experience
What else?
The recommended compensation plan would allow the district to adopt a one-time lump sum payment of $1,000 for full-time employees and $500 for part-time employees if it does not financially burden the district, according to district documents.
The costs associated with the one-time payments are not yet incorporated in the FY 2024-25 budget, Pape said.
What’s next
The board of trustees is expected to vote on the compensation plan at its next meeting May 9 and adopt the FY 2024-25 budget June 27, according to district information.
