The Conroe ISD board of trustees unanimously approved pay raises and stipends proposed by district administration officials during its regular meeting June 21.

The approved raises were recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards Compensation Group earlier this spring and include a 3 percent general pay increase on the midpoint salary. The newly approved teacher hiring schedule, employee raises and stipends result in a starting teacher salary of $51,500, up from $50,000 in 2015-16.

“Due to the district’s strong financial standing, we are able to offer a healthy raise for our employees while also meeting our budget proposal for the 2016-17 year,” CISD Chief Financial Officer Darrin Rice said.

District officials said these adjustments will keep CISD competitive with peer school districts.    

Existing teachers will receive a salary increase of $1,650 or more next year, and total teacher salaries will increase by approximately $7.5 million. Non-teacher salary increases, as recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards, total approximately $4.2 million.

The 2016-17 CISD budget is scheduled to be presented to the board of trustees for consideration at its regularly scheduled meeting in August.