Waco Independent School District teachers on average can expect to receive a 6.4% salary increase next school year, in accordance with a newly passed state school finance reform bill.
Under current the budget proposal, most of the district’s teachers — 95 with one year of teaching experience — would receive a 5.2% raise, or an additional $1,900 a year. That bumps up their salary from $46,600 to $48,500.
Waco ISD’s new starting salary for 2019-20 would be $48,000, up from $46,100.
House Bill 3 devotes $11.6 billion to school finance reform, with about $6.5 billion in new public education spending and about $5.1 billion dedicated to lowering residents’ property tax bills, the Texas Tribune reported.
The measure includes money for teacher raises and funding for free full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds. It also decreases the amount of money wealthy districts must spend to subsidize poor districts through the state’s recapture program, known as “Robin Hood,” according to the Texas Tribune.
Waco ISD expects to receive an additional $16.9 million in state funding under House Bill 3 and plans to allocate $3.9 million toward salary increases for full-time staff, excluding administrators, district Chief Financial Officer Sheryl Davis said during a board presentation Thursday.
The district would use about $3.2 million to fund raises and stipends for teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians, Davis said. Another $1.6 million will fund salary hikes for teacher aides and support staff.
In comparison, the Midway Independent School District expects to receive an additional $3.6 million in revenue under the recently passed state school finance reform law, with at least $1 million of that going toward salary raises for teachers, nurses, counselors and librarians.
Under House Bill 3, districts and open enrollment charter schools must increase salaries for full-time staff other than administrators, Davis said. Of the funds they receive, 30% must go toward these raises, and 75% of those funds must go toward raises for teachers, librarians, nurses and counselors.
For Waco ISD, the highest proposed salary increase goes to teachers with six years of experience. They would receive a 7.5% hike, or an extra $3,200 a year. About 49 teachers would receive that pay raise.
Teachers with 27 or more years of experience would receive a salary increase of 5.8%, or $2,800 more a year. There are 90 teachers in that group.
Additionally, the district will provide administrators with a 3% salary hike, costing Waco ISD $320,802, Davis said.
The total cost of the proposed salary increases is about $5 million.
— WACOTRIB