Dripping Springs ISD increases pay to recruit, retain staff in critical shortage areas

The Dripping Springs ISD school board made changes to the district’s compensation plan to address a shortage of substitute teachers and auxiliary staff, during a Jan. 31 meeting.

A $2 addition on the hourly rate was approved for night shift custodians, split shift bus drivers and split shift bus aides, the positions with the biggest shortages in DSISD.

The board also increased the daily substitute teacher pay rate by $20. Certified substitute teachers will now receive $120 per day, while non-certified substitutes will receive $110 per day.

“The market has changed quite a bit this school year, as other districts around us have had substitute shortages,” said Board Secretary Shannon O’Connor. “They’ve been making changes to their substitute pay rates throughout the school year. We saw that start in the fall and it’s a trend that continued, even with Austin ISD making changes on the 18th. We want to make a change in our pay rate structure to also be competitive with that.”

Full-time teachers covering classes when substitutes cannot be secured will now receive supplemental pay.

When elementary classes are split due to teacher shortage, teachers who receive 3 or more additional students from a split class will also be entitled to supplemental pay. Elementary teachers providing full-day class coverage will earn $30 per day split.

Secondary teachers providing class coverage will earn $30 per block class. Secondary teachers may only substitute for the weekly equivalent of one of their two 90-minute conference periods.