How we got here
House Bill 2, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 4 to provide additional funding for schools, established a $3.7 billion teacher retention allotment, which will be used to provide permanent raises for teachers with at least three years of classroom experience, as previously reported by Community Impact. In addition, teachers will be hired at a higher starting salary based on their years of experience.
CISD Chief Financial Officer Karen Garza said the 2025-26 recommendation is based on the teacher retention allotment for the district for the 2025-26 school year of $19.6 million and the support staff allotment of $2.7 million.
The following recommendations totaling $33.1 million were made for CISD's 2025-26 budget:
- $20.5 million for a 6% increase to the teacher pay scale
- $6.2 million for a 6% raise for administrative support, instructional support and auxiliary staff
- $300,000 for a 4% raise for district police
- $6.1 million for a 4% raise for administrative business, administrative education and technology staff
“We wanted to make sure that we prioritize them in terms of the compensation increase, and then we added a new pay structure for our technology employees to stay competitive in that market. That's one of those areas where we need to stay competitive,” Garza said.
What they’re saying
“I want to be sure that we do incentivize those [teachers] to stay in the classroom and be rewarded even if we aren’t increasing the pay across the board. ... I don’t want to lose those veteran teachers,” CISD board of trustees President Misty Oldenweller said.
What’s next
The finance department will finalize revenue projections and present the final budget for approval Aug. 19, with a budget hearing held Aug. 5.
