Plano ISD’s Board of Trustees moved to increase employee salaries for the next school year at a meeting on Tuesday.
The trustees voted unanimously on a compensation package that includes an across-the-board 3% raise for all employees and adjustments to the starting salary schedule for new teachers.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, school districts across North Texas are competing against one another in a tight education labor market, leaving many classrooms without a certified full-time veteran teacher.
The issue has been especially bad at Dallas ISD, where veteran teachers feel disrespected by the district leadership’s prioritization of recruiting new educators with bonus pay and other hiring incentives instead of trying to retain veteran staff.
“They’re demoralized because their expertise and experience are unrecognized and not respected. Novice teachers will receive a salary greater than those who have worked tirelessly for several years,” local teacher union president Rena Honea previously told The Dallas Express.
Still, teacher pay has proven an important factor in public education in light of the state’s current teacher shortage.
“We asked our taxpayers to please allow us to be able to put more money towards compensating our teachers,” said Trustee Lauren Tyra during Tuesday’s meeting, according to Community Impact. “I feel confident that the package [staff] has put together is honoring that promise we made to our taxpayers.”
The new compensation package includes raising the starting salary for teachers with bachelor’s degrees and no experience to $60,000 annually. Teachers with a master’s and no experience will start at $62,000. Wages for new campus support staff are also getting bumped up to $15 an hour.
Certain staff will also see a significant increase in stipends, including school nurses, behavioral instructional specialists, bilingual teachers, and special education teachers.
“Our employees are our most valuable resource and are vital to the growth, care and success of our students,” Plano ISD Superintendent Theresa Williams said, per the district’s news release.
“A competitive compensation plan is not only a way to show our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our employees, it is also an investment in the future of our district,” she added.
