Eligible Eanes ISD staff will receive a one-time payment of $1,306.32 after the board of trustees voted 5-2 for the payment during its Sept. 22 board meeting.
Trustees John Troy and Catherine Walker cast the dissenting votes.
Looking back
The board adopted the 2026-27 budget in June with an $80,000 budget surplus and postponed voting on the staff compensation plan until the sale of a piece of district-owned land was finalized. The board again postponed voting on the plan in August.
The update
Out of four potential compensation options, trustees ultimately approved Option 2 with a one-time payment of $1,306.32, resulting in a projected fund balance of 24.1% in 2026-27.
In comparison:
Option 1 included a one-time payment of $916.83, resulting in a projected 24.6% fund balance
Option 3 included a 1.5% increase, resulting in a projected 24.2% fund balance
Option 4 included a 2% increase, resulting in a projected 23.7% fund balance
Troy, who voted against Option 2, voiced concerns that all of the options would result in the district being below its targeted 25% fund balance goal at the end of the year.
"If we have a dollar, I want to put it to our staff," Troy said. "For me, the problem is, we don't have a dollar. ... Every single option we just looked at involved revenue being less than expenses. ... I think when you pull from the fund balance, you make it harder to do raises in the future, because you can only spend a dollar once."
Trustee Jennifer Blackman said even if the district "goes into the red" this year due to the increase, it will still signal that the district is fully supporting its staff to the best of its ability, even with limited resources.
"I would like to argue that you can invest a dollar more than once," Blackman said. "If we invest in the teachers and the staff that we have now, I feel very confident that that investment is going to compound in such a way that we will be able to realize a real gain, a meaningful gain, on that investment."
Area compensation comparison
0% compensation increase: Austin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Georgetown, Hays, Leander, Manor, Pflugerville and Round Rock ISDs
1% compensation increase: Dripping Springs and Lake Travis ISDs
2% compensation increase: San Marcos CISD
Per agenda documents, Del Valle, Lake Travis and Leander ISDs compensation included a $1,000 flat retention bonus, while increases in Georgetown and Round Rock ISDs are contingent upon the results of its November voter approval tax rate election. San Marcos CISD also had a 2% increase, but its insurance contribution was reduced to $350.
Additionally, out of these 12 other school districts, Eanes ISD has the:
Sixth highest 0-year teacher salary
Fifth highest 5-year teacher salary
Tenth highest 10-year teacher salary
Twelfth highest 15-year teacher salary
Eleventh highest 20-year teacher salary
Looking ahead
Superintendent Kirk Koennecke said the district will continue to advocate for more state support at the Texas Legislature, which will convene for its 90th session in January.
"I hope that people who are paying attention, including all of our staff, understand that this budget issue does not go away," Koennecke said. "Our general fund and what we're paying attention to is as tight as it's ever been historically. That's going to continue. ... When we advocate to the Texas Legislature about the need to take care of our students, this is a great reminder. Because when Eanes is struggling to make these decisions, everybody in Texas is struggling."
