Fort Bend ISD board of trustees approves compensation adjustment for select teaching staff

Newly hired teachers with more than 25 years of experience at Fort Bend ISD are getting a pay adjustment.

The FBISD board of trustees voted 7-0 on its consent agenda during its April 25 meeting to approve an adjustment for newly hired teachers with between 26-40 years of experience, according to agenda documents. The vote came unanimously, and the item was not pulled for further discussion.

Starting with May 31 paychecks, the district procedure—to base the employee’s starting salary on Step 25 of the new-hire teacher pay scale regardless of their years of experience—will be adjusted so that new hires are paid based on their actual years of experience, according to agenda documents.

With the change, newly hired teachers with 26 years of experience will earn an annual salary of $72,000, according to a teacher pay scale document shared with the board of trustees. A teacher would earn an additional $500 every year beyond that, up to $79,000 per year at year 40. This salary reflects teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree, however. Teachers with a master’s degree and a Ph.D. would earn $1,100 and $2,200 stipends, respectively, according to the document.

“Considering the current teacher shortage, administration recommends changing this procedure to pay newly hired teachers with more than 25 years of experience based on their actual years of experience,” the district wrote in its agenda report. “This change will align with how many other local districts handle hiring teachers with more than 25 years of experience.”

The adjustment will cost the district $111,126 and will retroactively affect 33 teachers, according to the agenda documents. Teachers affected will receive an adjustment based on the difference between their yearly salary for their actual years of experience and their annual rate of pay. Meanwhile, the amount will be prorated if the teacher started with the district after the contract start date.