The Pflugerville ISD board of trustees approved an across-the-board employee pay increase April 24, upping wages in the district to, or above, 90 percent of the fair-market pay rate.

Dozens of educators at the meeting cheered the board's approval of the pay bump, but officials acknowledged budget challenges still remain.

PISD Superintendent Alex Torrez said the district sits in the bottom quarter of Texas school districts in terms of state assistance.

The district had room in its budget to accommodate the wage bump, which will cost $4.6 million, said PISD Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Adix.

August Plock, a Pflugerville High School teacher and president of the Pflugerville Educator's Association, applauded the pay increase.

However, Plock said, it seems like PISD is always playing catch-up with neighboring districts.

"Yes, we got a 3 percent raise that brings us up to right now. But, if Round Rock gets another 3 percent raise this year, well, we are now 3 percent or 4 percent behind again," Plock said. "It's causing teacher morale issues. It's causing teachers to leave to go to another school districts that pay more."

Before the Thursday pay-raise approval, Torrez corrected inequities in PISD wages that had some veteran employees earning less than newcomers, Plock said.

The district has also sued the state, along with about 400 other school districts, to receive more state funding.

Dozens of educators and advocates attended the meeting, many wearing blue Pflugerville Educator's Association T-shirts and cheering in favor of a pay increase.

Cindy Perkins, secretary of the Pflugerville Educators Association and a Windermere Elementary School kindergarten teacher, welcomed a pay increase but said the 3 percent bump would still keep Pflugerville educators below the "industry standard."

"We also understand the complexity of providing higher salaries in Pflugerville when we are still underfunded by the state compared to our surrounding areas," Perkins said. "Rest assured that Pflugerville educators will continue to lobby our legislators to get what is right."

Erika Cervantes, a student at Pflugerville High School and daughter of a teacher, urged the board to approve the raise.

"She's always there for her students," Cervantes said. "I appreciate everything she's doing and I think she should be rewarded for it,"