Dripping Springs ISD approves 1% pay increase for staff

DRIPPING SPRINGS  — All Dripping Springs ISD employees will soon see a 1% pay increase.

The DSISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 1% general pay increase at its May 20 meeting for current teaching, auxiliary, clerical/technical and administrative/professional staff to take effect on July 1. The district believes that the pay increase is necessary to retain the current staff, while also remaining competitive with other school districts in the area.

“We are super excited for our pay increase for this year. We are going to be able to do a 1% for all of our pay grades across the board. It is about a $700,000 budget impact, but we will be able to get that increase to all current employees going into the 2024-25 school year,” said DSISD Chief Human Resources Officer Linda Hall.

The general pay increase details are listed below:

• A 1% increase for the Teacher Pay Scale (based on the midpoint of the Teacher Pay Scale – Year 15)

• A 1% increase for returning auxiliary staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee)

• A 1% increase for returning clerical/technical staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee)

• A 1% increase for returning administrative/professional staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee)

Last year, the DSISD Board of Trustees approved a 3% pay increase for teachers in the 2023-24 Compensation Plan. However, during the budget assumptions that were approved in February 2024, the original recommendation to do another 3% pay increase for the 2024-25 school year was changed to 1% due to no additional funding for school districts, lower student growth and inflationary impacts, as previously stated by chief financial officer Gina Mitschke.

“I applaud the administration for finding a way in a difficult budget forecast for next year to continue to move the needle on compensation increase for our staff … I think the sentiment of this board is 1% moves the needle, but it doesn’t move it as much as we want to move the needle,” said trustee Rob McClelland. “This is not the end of our continued efforts to continue to increase compensation for our staff. We know we have more work to do, but at the same time, a lot of that is based on two key constraints and that is the student allotment being where it is and millions, millions and millions of dollars leaving our district to go back to the state of Texas.”

McClelland said that he hopes that the school district will be able to do even more in terms of compensation increases for staff next year.

Trustee Kim Cousins also thanked the district’s administration for the long hours it took to bring forward the pay increase recommendations. She also said that she hopes within the next school year, the district can focus on raising the attendance numbers.

“Just getting the attendance up like 1% across the board, how much more funding that would bring in and maybe down the road, have the opportunity to put that into teacher salary,” she said. “I just hope we all work hard together next year in getting our community to understand how much that daily attendance counts towards the funding that is in our control … Hopefully, that will get up and we can just put more in there.”

The board also unanimously approved the 2024-25 Compensation Plan. This included the possibility for the board to, at a later time, do a one-time lump sum payment, increase starting teacher pay at $55,500, add a $1,500 hard-to-fill stipends for special service positions and maintain pay grades across the board, including the $3 dollar differential for special education aids that the board approved last November.

The district is going to continue the $16 per hour for custodial staff, $18 for child nutrition specialists, $19 for special education bus monitors and $30 for bus drivers, according to Hall.

“We will be able to continue to use those very competitive pay raises to continue to recruit and fill those vacancies in those areas,” Hall said.

Additionally, Hall explained that the district will utilize the Career & Technical Education (CTE) funds to add a Coordinator of CTE position that will work with Dr. Karen Kidd, assistant superintendent of learning & innovation, at the high school and middle schools to maximize the funding for CTE and continue to build and support the programs.

To listen to the full meeting, visit www.dsisdtx.new.swagit.com/videos/305770.