At its April 10 meeting, the Willis ISD board of trustees unanimously approved a $1,500 salary increase for teachers, counselors, librarians and registered nurses for the 2024-25 school year. The raise will be applied to each level on the pay scales for the applicable positions.
What we know
In a presentation, Garrett Matej, the assistant superintendent of business and finance, said 578 of the district's 1,093 full-time employees are teachers and counselors.
First-year teachers also received a pay bump, with the salary increasing from $55,000 to $56,000.This salary increase comes after the board approved retention payments in February for returning staff ranging from $500 to $2,500 that will be paid out in August, according to the district's website.
The compensation plan for the 2024-25 school year will cost the district an estimated $2 million, Matej said. At this time, WISD is not anticipating having a shortfall budget for fiscal year 2024-25.
What they're saying
- "Last year it was very difficult to give raises when the cost of living was up 11%," board President Kyle Hoegemeyer said. "One of the things we discussed in January when we sat down with Garrett was, 'Hey, we [have] got to figure out how to give raises but without going into a deficit.'"
- "A lot of people don't realize that a lot of our neighboring districts are running on a deficit," trustee Scott Carson said. "I just want to thank Garrett and his team for doing this for teachers and the stipends in August. It's a job well done and doing that with a balanced budget."
Willis ISD superintendent candidate Kimberley James will be approved by the board at a special meeting on April 22.
