Conroe ISD trustees approve teacher stipends in lieu of state funding

The Conroe ISD board of trustees adopted a resolution Aug. 1 to approve the payment of teacher stipends while the district waits for the state Legislature to pass a bill to provide teacher raises for the 2023-24 school year.

In a nutshell

Darrin Rice, CISD's chief financial officer, said because the state Legislature has not yet passed funding for teacher raises, district officials are recommending paying teacher stipends.

• Employees will receive a $1,200 or $600 stipend depending on employment status.
• The one-time cost of the stipends is $11 million.
• Funds for the stipend are coming out of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund.
• To qualify, an employee must have been employed on or before Sept. 15, 2023, and remain employed in the district until May 23, 2024.
• Full-time employees will receive the first $600 in October and the second $600 in November.
• Part-time employees will receive two $300 stipends in October and November.

What they are saying

"We are very hopeful, fingers crossed, that there will be more coming to our teachers," Board President Skeeter Hubert said. "It's a very difficult task to have a balanced budget, which we strongly believe in as a district, without going into a deficit but still finding a way to reward our teachers. So I hope [the stipends] is showing our commitment to them and our support for what they are doing."