Richardson ISD plans on giving employees a 1% raise in the upcoming school year.

Returning faculty members will also receive a $750 stipend, Superintendent Jeannie Stone told the board at its June 8 meeting.

“I believe that [the stipend] more than anything communicates value and speaks to the employee retention and the staff morale,” she said.

The total cost to the district is $2.8 million, Stone said. Both the salary increase and stipend are contingent on approval of the budget at the next board meeting.

Staff looks at several factors when weighing compensation changes, including competitiveness with nearby districts, the sustainability of the increase and the value of the change to employees, Stone said.


The fiscal impact of the coronavirus on the district’s budget was also considered, Stone said at a May 14 work session.

“We have to be mindful of the current economy, current unemployment rate and all of the factors that will go into the final decision for the board to make in terms of compensation,” she said.

This year’s raise is conservative compared to last year’s increase of between 3.5% and 5%. However, Stone said the 1% change is still competitive with nearby districts.

Over the past couple of months, the board has heard a series of presentations on the proposed budget, which was initially scheduled for adoption June 8. Approval was pushed back to the June 15 work session to give staff enough time to make compensation recommendations to the board.