HB 2 impacted salaries for teacher career progression type roles and other roles that require teacher certification, according to the presentation.
“It’s an important conversation to have about how House Bill 2 did not take into account many positions that are doing very important work across our campuses,” Superintendent Lori Rapp said.
The details
HB 2, which was passed during the 89th Texas legislative session, impacted teachers' salaries, but it was for teachers with three years of experience or more who would get that raise, according to previous reporting.
Positions that were not included in the raises are:
- Nonclassroom professionals
- Librarians
- Nurses
- Athletic trainers
- Counselors
- Diagnosticians
- Therapists
- Psychologists
- Assistant principals and other campus support staff
The Texas Association of School Boards recommends 5% to 8% between each pay grade progression at minimum, according to presentation.
The cost
District staff identified three groups of employees who would need raises to account for pay compression:
- Librarians, nurses, athletic trainers and other positions previously on the teacher pay scale, which totals about 277 staff members
- Counselors, diagnosticians, therapists and psychologists, which totals around 312 staff members
- Campus leadership, which accounts for about 200 staff members
Cobb also said there are three categories of employees whose salaries are below 95% of the market rate. These categories are:
- Administrative support
- Assessment, construction, facilities, finance, human resources, etc.
- Safety and security
In addition, the stipend for bilingual teachers and teachers with a master’s degree is below other local school districts of similar size. Addressing this would cost the district $460,000, Cobb said.
In order to address all these pay discrepancies, it would cost the district a little over $5 million.
What they’re saying
Multiple trustees expressed concern, as the district is operating at a budget shortfall of nearly $2.88 million.
“I’m scared,” trustee Staci Barker said. “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. ... Without the Legislature’s help, I don’t know we’re going to keep the dedicated staff that we have.”
Trustee Sheila Taylor reminded the board that this would be a recurring expense for the district.
“If we were to find several money trees to find that 5 million, it’s not a one-time payment,” she said.
Next steps
According to the presentation, district staff plan to monitor the fiscal year 2025-26 budget revenue and look for potential ways to address pay compression, market rate adjustments and stipends.
“For dealing with House Bill 2 compression, you’re looking at $2.1 million,” Rapp said. “So again, not a situation that you all created by any stretch, and you’re not being given the resources from the Legislature to address that.”
