Ramifications of HB 2 when it comes to teacher pay were discussed at a May 22 SCUCISD budget workshop, specifically mandated raises for classroom teachers.
District officials said they will need to make decisions on how to handle compensation for employees not included in the HB 2 mandated raises, such as instructional coaches and nurses.
What’s new
If HB 2 becomes law, $3.7 billion for teacher pay raises would be allotted throughout the state, including at SCUCISD.
Classroom teachers with three to four years of experience in districts with over 5,000 students, such as SCUCISD, would receive a raise of $2,500. This would equate to an average 4.4% pay increase, according to a presentation from district Chief Financial Officer Brian Moy.
Those with five or more years of experience would earn a $5,000 raise, an average of a 7.7% raise in the district, Moy said.
Moy said that the mandated raises through HB 2 only cover employees under the definition of classroom teacher, leaving out more than 100 district teachers and librarians from the raise.
A “classroom teacher” is defined by the Texas Education Code as an educator who “teaches in an academic instructional setting or a career and technology instructional setting” for at least four hours each day on average, leaving out positions like instructional coaches.
Moy said the district will have to decide a compensation plan going forward, adding that teachers they’ve asked to be instructional coaches “should probably get a raise.”
“They will not get the funding from the legislature for the raise, even if we decide to give it,” Moy added.
An additional amount just under $675,000 will come through HB 2 to fund other raises, according to Moy’s presentation, enough funds for a roughly 1.5% pay raise to those not covered in the mandated raise.
Moy pointed out that the district does not want one teacher of more than five years experience receiving a 1.5% raise, while another receives a 7.7% raise, just due to meeting the classroom teacher criteria.
What else?
A total of 17 district nurses would also be left out of the mandated HB 2 raises, despite being on a teacher pay scale, Moy said. Another future district decision will be whether to put nurses on an administrative pay scale or not.
The next SCUCISD budget workshop to discuss these items will be June 10.
