DALLAS — Employees in Dallas area school districts are getting raises for the new school year.
The Arlington ISD Board of Trustees approved increases in salaries for all eligible district employees at a board meeting Thursday night.
"It's never easy putting together a budget for a Board, but we know that we must do what we can to retain and show we want the most talented people working in the Arlington ISD," said Kecia Mays, board president. "Our teachers and support staff are dedicated to students, and we as a Board are dedicated to them."
Teachers, librarians and other employees paid on the teacher salary scale will receive a 4% raise for the 2022-23 school year. It marks the third-straight year the board has approved a 4% raise for these employees. The raise is a general annual pay increase of the market median. The rate for new teachers is now $60,400 and stipends are offered for bilingual teachers, special education teachers and teachers with master's degrees.
Employees paid on salary schedules other than the teacher salary schedule will also receive a general annual pay increase of 4% on their 2022-23 paygrade mid-point. Targeted adjustments will be made where appropriate to achieve market competitiveness and move staff members closer to the mid-point of their paygrade.
The Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 5% pay raise, at a minimum, for district teachers and staff for the 2022-23 school year, the district announced Wednesday.
The 5% pay increase comes after teachers and staff received a 3% salary boost during the 2021-22 school year, the district said.
“Our teachers and staff highly deserve this increase in salary and we are pleased that we can let them know of our commitment to them prior to the end of the school year,” HPISD Board President Tom Sharpe said. “Combined with the current school year increase, it is safe to say that this is the largest-ever 2-year increase in teacher and staff salaries in HPISD. Thank you to our community for its approval of the Golden Penny election to enable additional revenue to be raised to support our valued teachers and staff members.”
According to Highland Park ISD, the 5% increase will come from the following:
- 2% from the revenue initially projected as a result of the Golden Penny election
- 1% from additional revenue generated by increased taxable appraised values through the four Golden Pennies
- 1% from other revenue sources and cost-saving measures, along with additional revenue generated by the district’s original four golden pennies that were in place prior to last fall’s election
- 1% provided by the Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) during next year’s annual Mad for Plaid campaign along with funds from HPEF’s Tartan Endowment.
The 5% pay increase for all staff will be based on the midpoint range for each salary. Should additional revenue become available, there is a possibility that salaries could rise even higher, according to the district.
The pay raises will go into effect at the beginning of the 2022-23 contract year, according to the district.
Starting pay for teachers in Highland Park ISD also will increase from $52,500 to $56,000.
The Plano ISD Board of Trustees approved a compensation plan at its May 17 school board meeting. In the new plan, teachers, librarians and nurses will receive a 4% increase on the control rate, and all other employees will receive a 3% increase on the control rate.
The plan also increases starting salaries for teachers in Plano ISD. Starting pay for teachers with a bachelor's degree and no experience ranges from $56,000 to $58,250. Starting pay for teachers with a master's degree and no experience ranges from $58,000 to $60,250.
“We value our employees and are fortunate to have the best of the best,” said School Board President David Stolle. “Maintaining competitive salaries in order to attract and retain top teachers and staff members will continue to be a priority of this board.”
Other details of the new compensation plan include:
- District contributions for employee health insurance to $315/month
- A one-time retention and new employee stipend of $1,000 for teachers and $500 for all other employees
- An increased pay structure for mechanics, cafeteria specialists, cashiers and special education paraprofessionals
- An increased stipend to $4,000 for bilingual certified teachers
- A structured special education stipend increase to $3,000
“Our employees are our most valuable resource and are vital to the growth, care and success of our students,” said incoming Superintendent of Schools Dr. Theresa Williams. “We see on a daily basis how much our employees give of themselves. We appreciate their talent and their work. We are grateful for every one of them. In a time when educators are facing more challenges than ever, providing an increase in compensation is just one way of saying ‘thank you’ for being part of our Plano ISD family.”
The Duncanville ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a compensation plan to give all district employee work groups a salary increase between 4% and 6.6% for the 2022-2023 school year. The highlights of the compensation plan include:
- $57,000 beginning teacher salary
- 6.6% salary increase of the midpoint for all teachers (minimum $4,000)
- 4% salary increase of the midpoint for all other staff
- $2,000 Loyalty Stipend for 15-plus years in Duncanville ISD
- Additional stipends and signing bonuses for "hard-to-fill positions" (up to $12,000)
- Market adjustments for all positions as applicable
- Decrease in health insurance premiums