The overview
MISD’s police department will be offering higher stipends to officers who have extra certifications beginning in the 2025-26 school year, Superintendent Mark Ruffin said Jan. 24. The stipend bump is possible because of MISD’s $5.5 million voter-approval tax rate election, which voters approved in November.
Ruffin said the current and future stipend rates are:
- For “intermediate level” certifications: $250 annually in the 2024-25 school year and $850 annually starting in 2025-26
- For “advanced” level certifications: $500 annually in the 2024-25 school year and $1,700 annually starting in 2025-26
- For “master” level certifications: $750 annually in the 2024-25 school year and $2,550 annually starting in 2025-26
In case you missed it
MISD has been able to fund other staff-related initiatives thanks to the November VATRE, as previously reported by Community Impact, including:
- On Dec. 17, MISD’s board of trustees unanimously approved $500 bonuses for full-time employees
- On Dec. 3, trustees OK’d six additional special education and elementary school positions to be added to campuses
MISD’s VATRE will provide $5.5 million in additional annual revenue to the district through a $0.05 per $100 valuation tax increase for taxpayers. Before November, MISD faced a $4.3 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2024-25 budget.
As previously reported by Community Impact, priorities MISD leaders have pegged for the VATRE funding include:
- Keeping teacher salaries competitive
- Offering incentives for positions that are difficult to hire
- Maintaining student programs such as the Dual Language Immersion Program
- Helping pay for armed campus officers required under House Bill 3, which was approved June 2023 by the Texas Legislature
- Maintaining student technology monitoring initiatives
