Frisco ISD started the 2015-16 school year with the opening of four new schools, more teachers and increased salaries to keep up with the growth of the district.

The FISD board of trustees adopted a $416 million budget at its June 22 meeting, which is $26 million more than the 2014-15 school year’s budget.

The budget increases spending by 6.6 percent while maintaining the property tax rate of $1.46 per $100 of valuation for the fourth-straight year. FISD is expected to have a 7 percent growth in student enrollment in 2015-16.

During the June 22 meeting, board President Anne McCausland said the district is committed to fiscal responsibility and being a good steward of tax dollars.

“Our efforts to keep the tax rate level for four years, while growing by 33 percent to 53,000 students and opening 13 new schools during that same time, speaks to that commitment,” she said in a news release.

The district hired more than 200 new teachers, many of whom will staff the four new schools that opened in August—Norris Elementary School, Pearson Middle School, Reedy High School and Trent Middle School, FISD Chief Financial Officer Rick Bankston said.

For this school year, the starting teacher salary is $48,500, an increase of $1,000 from the 2014-15 school year. FISD employees received a 2.5 percent of midpoint pay raise under the budget.

FISD Superintendent Jeremy Lyon said there is nothing more important to students than hiring the best people to work with them every day and providing the best possible support and resources.

“Due to our phenomenal growth, we hire hundreds of new employees each year, and we want them to know they are joining a team that values their knowledge and skills and that wants them to stay and grow with us,” Lyon said.