As part of the compensation package, RISD will be increasing salaries and offering a stipend for both new and returning teachers, RISD Interim Superintendent Tabitha Branum said.
According to district data, RISD offers the lowest starting teacher salary in the metroplex at $55,000 per year. District officials estimated that the average starting teacher salary in the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area is $56,787. Under the approved program, the starting salary for new teachers in RISD will increase to $57,000.
In addition, RISD will offer a stipend for employees hired between May 31 this year and May 26, 2023. The new hire stipend will be $1,750 for new teachers and $750 for other staff. Branum said the new hire stipend is expected to cost just over $1.5 million and will be funded from the RISD general fund.
Full time staff are expected to receive a pay raise between 4.25% and 5%, depending on their experience. Teachers with one to four years of experience will receive a 4.25% pay raise, teachers with five to nine years of experience will receive a 4.5% pay raise, teachers with 10-15 years of experience will receive a 4.75% raise and teachers with over 15 years of experience will receive a 5% pay raise. All other full time personnel are expected to receive a 4% salary increase.
In addition, a retention stipend will be offered to those who remain with the district through the start of the 2022-23 school year. Teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses with over 11 years of experience will receive a $2,000 stipend, while those with 10 years or less will receive a $1,500 stipend. All other staff members will receive a $1,000 stipend. District officials said the retention stipend is expected to cost more than $10.33 million and the money for the stipends will come from funds earmarked for the district as part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. That grant funding, known as ESSER, was distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to help address unexpected costs incurred during the coronavirus pandemic.
The compensation program marks the third major initiative by RISD since the start of the pandemic to better compensate teachers. RISD approved a $6.1 million program for retention stipends to teachers during a Jan. 24 meeting, providing a one-time stipend of $1,000 to full-time employees and $500 to part-time employees.
In January 2021, the RISD board approved a program that provided a $750 retention stipend for full-time employees and a $375 stipend for part-time employees that cost about $4.4 million, according to district officials.
