For the first time since the 2012-13 school year, the Texas Association of School Boards, or TASB, compared FBISD’s 2024-25 pay to 13 nearby districts, similar-sized districts across the state, as well as to private companies and other public jobs—like police officers, custodians and office staff—outside of schools.
"The Houston metro area is a super competitive market—definitely one of, if not the highest, in the state,” Amy Campbell, director of human resource services at TASB, said at a Sept. 8 FBISD agenda review meeting. "You're not only competing with other ISDs—you're also competing with private sector or other public sector employers."
The takeaways
Campbell said Fort Bend ISD stands out among peer districts for having a more experienced group of teachers. Less than half of the district’s teaching staff has 10 or fewer years of experience, which she said is unlike most urban and suburban districts where the majority of teachers are early in their careers.
Meanwhile, although instructional support and administrative positions are competitive or above market, auxiliary positions such as custodians, bus drivers and police staff were found to be below market average pay.
“These jobs have higher turnover,” she said. You're typically hiring less experienced staff and that minimum [pay grade] is a bigger driving factor in recruitment and retention.”
Another thing
While performing arts, academic and sponsor stipends were mostly at or above market levels, Campbell said teaching certification and athletic-related stipends are below market value.
Taking a step back
Trustee Afshi Charania said many experienced teachers benefited from the November 2023 voter-approved tax rate election, bringing in an estimated $35.2 million annually during the 2023-24 school year for staff increase, Community Impact reported
In June, the board approved the 2025-26 budget, which included $40 million to fund raises through 2027 through the 89th Texas Legislature’s House Bill 2. These funds covered raises for experienced teachers and non-administrative staff.
With the proposed 7-cent tax increase to be voted on Sept. 15, the district will be funding $35.7 million worth of raises for staff not included in the HB 2 mandates, officials previously said.
The recommendation
Campbell said while TASB was in the middle of analyzing data, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 2, which included major changes in school funding and required teacher raises. As a result, she said the final recommendations are a blend of pre-HB 2 and post-HB 2 insights.
While the lowest general pay increase is recommended for budget constraints and only focuses on market corrections, the highest is recommended for increased retention, recruitment and morale, Campbell said.
"Every district wishes they had all the money to make all of these corrections—but that's not realistic,” Campbell said. “So our plan is to help you prioritize."
Next steps
The compensation study will be voted on at the Sept. 15 board meeting, board President Kristin Tassin said. Additionally, Campbell said the district will receive updated market data around Dec. 1 to inform the 2025-26 pay schedule planning.
Tassin also requested guidance from TASB on implementation of a pay raise amid a $26.2 million shortfall awaiting the 2025-26 school year without the passage of a higher tax rate.
“I don’t know how we’ll be able to stagger that,” she said. “With the $26 million shortfall we have coming up that we have to address next year ... we’ll be interested in seeing what the plan is.”
