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The Pflugerville Independent School District has joined other Central Texas districts in approving bumps in pay for teachers and employees. On Tuesday, the school board made the decision final, putting into place some of the largest pay increases in the Austin-area.
Beginning next year, all teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians will receive a minimum pay increase of 6.7-percent. For teachers with six or more years of experience, the rate will be 7-percent.
All other employees, such as janitors and bus drivers, will receive raises of 4-percent if they are salaried, and 5-percent if they are hourly.
Starting pay has also increased. For new teachers who have five or fewer years of experience under their belts, base pay will now be $50,000. New Pflugerville teachers with six or more years of experience will begin at $51,450.
The increases reflect new funding created through the new House Bill 3.
But amid the pay bumps is a bit of uncertainty as the district hedges its bets over another source of funding it receives. Due to being what the state calls a “Fast Growth District,” Pflugerville ISD receives nearly $6-million more each year. The designation requires a district to maintain a net growth of 10-percent over the course of five years. But numbers from the Texas Education Agency show growth has held just above 3-percent in recent years. If the state removes the Fast Growth designation, Pflugerville ISD would lose that extra money, which officials say could create a $3-million budget deficit.
The pay increases will add an additional $10-million to the annual budget.
