Brittany Kelley
KYLE — Hays CISD Human Resources director Christina Courson presented the 2025-26 employee compensation plan to the board of trustees at its Aug. 25 meeting.
“We previously brought to you a teacher scale with the information that we had at that time that reflected the legislative increases for teachers with three or more years of experience,” explained Courson. “Since then, we’ve been able to develop a little bit more of the compensation plan and establishing — for those who are education professionals who do not qualify for the teacher raises — [a] hiring schedule called the Education Professional Hiring schedule [for them].”
This new hiring schedule will include individuals that were previously on the teachers, nurses and librarian hiring schedule.
According to Courson, the board made a decision to increase stipends for special education classroom teachers in October 2024, which was half fulfilled, since they could not complete a full increase at the time. So, this year, they will be receiving the other $375, totaling the $750 increase that was promised, she said.
There was also an increase for the specialized special education teachers in foundational learning classes. Previously, it was a $2,500 stipend — $1,250 given last year and another $1,250 to be received this year — but it will increase to $5,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.
Additionally, feedback stated that the substitute rate for inclusion resource substitute teachers was “perhaps too generous,” so the pay is returning back to the regular guest teacher amount, said the director. These are positions that are in the classroom with another teacher, rather than by themselves. This will reserve the increase in pay for substitute special education classrooms — who navigate the environment individually — instead.
Courson also shared that the K-4 capacity incentive, which was implemented in years past, is being paused to save money at this time. The capacity incentive would provide a teacher who took on an extra student to surpass the standard 22 for an increase in pay.
“This is a school year, where we financially do not have the ability to hire additional [full-time employees] for now. What does that mean? … In cases where we have less students [in a classroom], we’re able to move teachers from one grade level or one campus to another to maximize and to help those students where we have overages,” explained the director. “For now, we continue to monitor where we can level, so we can maximize our resources, trying to provide the best learning experience with the staff that we have.”
Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright added onto this idea, stating that the district can use the cap and overflow model, which allows a student to move to another school when the maximum number of 23 students is reached in a classroom.
“You’re balancing out the mathematical side of it with the human element [and] that is painful. It’s painful for our teachers; it’s painful for our students, our parents, our principals, everybody involved in the whole system,” said trustee Geoff Seibel.
Because several positions from the Hays CISD Pregnancy, Education and Parenting (PEP) Child Development Center have been “crossed off,” trustee Vanessa Petrea wanted clarification that it has not been closed, as many rumors have suggested.
According to staff, the PEP center did technically close, but only the location, as the space is now serving the Early Learning Center children, while the babies from the teen mothers are being served in the Early Learning Center, instead.
“I appreciate this team’s work to just be creative and [figure out] how we can continue to serve the education of our students, while maintaining a level of education that makes sense,” said trustee Byron Severance. “I know it’s not easy. I know it’s not what we would want to do, but I appreciate your team’s creativity to get this plan to where it’s at today and, hopefully, based on events in the future, there can be some changes to this, too.”
Trustee Raul Vela Jr. motioned to approve the 2025-26 employee compensation plan as presented, with trustee Johnny Flores seconding. The item passed unanimously.
The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will meet next Monday, Sept. 15.
