On Thursday night, the Georgetown Independent School District board met to vote on its new budget, which includes pay raises for all teachers and staff. After a brief window of discussion, the board gave unanimous approval to that budget.
Thanks to the signing into law of House Bill 3 this year, Georgetown ISD has received an additional $5.9-million. Of that, $4.4-million will now be put toward those pay increases, which will include:
- A $3,000 raise for teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses with six years of experience. This is equivalent to 5.3{2db634631ef8bd3f096060bc7daa4fc6677d16e616113d8c02bec6b420e3105c} of the midpoint salary.
- A 4{2db634631ef8bd3f096060bc7daa4fc6677d16e616113d8c02bec6b420e3105c} (of midpoint) salary increase for teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses with fewer than five years of experience.
- $500,000 to increase salaries of instructional aides and classroom support positions
- $600,000 to increase the district’s contribution to medical benefits – providing a base health insurance plan at no additional cost to enrolled employees
- Increasing the starting teacher salary from $46,000 to $48,000.
- A 3{2db634631ef8bd3f096060bc7daa4fc6677d16e616113d8c02bec6b420e3105c} (of midpoint) raise for all other staff
The remaining $1.5-million will go toward new instructional positions directly supporting classrooms and raising the starting rates for custodians and bus drivers. The district says that will allow it to be more competitive in the market as well as raise the rates for existing employees in those positions.
“I’m proud that we are adopting a balanced budget that provides the biggest raise in more than a decade and support academic programs that promote student success and advance Learner Profile attainment,” said GISD Superintendent Fred Brent.
As TEA continues to interpret House Bill 3, districts may see additional funding. The board has charged the superintendent and staff to infuse any additional funds received during the school year toward compensation for instructional positions.
In addition to increased education funding, House Bill 3 also offers $5-billion in property tax relief to Texans. Georgetown ISD’s budget includes a tax rate of $1.339 per $100 valuation, down from the current rate of $1.409.
The Board is expected to adopt the new lower tax rate in August.
