The overview
Trustee José Macias brought the item forward to the board of trustees as an initiative to fill vacancies and bolster retention in the district police department.
“We’re not at the top when it comes to police salaries for officers, and that could be a potential barrier to retention and recruitment,” Macias said.
Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III said the district falls at the fourth from the top when comparing minimum and midpoint daily rates with 10 surrounding districts. The district was sitting at the second highest rate for maximum daily rate.
According to the fiscal year 2024-25 compensation plan, the hourly midpoint for police officers was set at $29 an hour. In the motion, Macias said the rate would be increased by $1.09, bringing the total midpoint to $30.09.
Alongside an hourly increase, the motion stated that reimbursement compensation for academy training could be given to up to seven employees.
Meeting highlights
During the citizens to be heard period, multiple community members spoke on the importance of filling every campus with armed security officers.
In 2023, House Bill 3 was adopted, requiring all districts in the state to have a certified peace officer on each campus.
Judson ISD submitted an exemption through the Texas Education Agency, which allowed the district to not have an officer on every campus.
Fields said the district still has the exemption and is not required to fill every campus under the legislation.
Fields also expressed concern that the increase in pay would not lead to staffing solutions, due to the demand of police officers at municipalities and districts across the state.
“I’m not confident by just becoming the highest paid that we are going to be fully staffed,” Fields said.
Trustees discussed the item further in closed session due to the nature of the topic, ultimately agreeing to increase the midpoint wage and offer reimbursement for academy graduates who work at the district.
