The gist
On Dec. 17, MISD’s board of trustees unanimously approved employee retention stipends. The stipends will be included on employees’ Dec. 20 paychecks, Superintendent Mark Ruffin said.
The stipends will be funded by MISD’s VATRE—Proposition A on Nov. 5 ballots—which will provide $5.5 million in additional annual revenue as the district faces a nearly $4.3 million budget shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.
“Because our community supported us and ... [with] the passage of Prop A, our district is in a position to immediately make a positive impact on our staff through this retention stipend,” Ruffin said.
Filling the budget gap, recruiting staff and student safety are the main priorities leaders have pegged for the VATRE funding, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Quote of note
“It's a really good thing that our community got behind and stood behind the district,” board secretary Eddie Winn said. “They saw the value of our staff and our employees, and it's a really great thing that we can do this this time of year to help all of our staff. Not just one section, but it's every bit of our staff: from bus drivers to police officers to teachers, to everyone involved.”
Also of note
With the VATRE, MISD’s FY 2024-25 total tax rate is $1.0912 per $100 valuation, which is a 4.1% increase from the previous fiscal year.
