By Megan Wehring
DRIPPING SPRINGS – As the cost of living continues to increase at a rapid rate, Dripping Springs ISD (DSISD) is increasing pay for staff.
The DSISD Board of Trustees approved pay increases and one-time incentive payments for all district employees at its May 23 meeting. In addition, the board approved the district’s compensation plan for the upcoming school year.
“The Board of Trustees is committed to recognizing the exceptional work that our educators and district employees do every day to serve the students and families of DSISD,” said Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick, Board President. “We appreciate the administration’s work to come up with a compensation plan that they believe will help attract and retain talent while being judicious with taxpayer dollars. We were pleased to unanimously support the pay increases and incentive payments recommendations.”
This only applies to returning permanent staff members, full-time or part-time, who worked at least 90 days with the district this year. The increases and incentives include:
General Pay Increase
• 7% for Teaching staff (based on median teacher salary)
• 7% for Auxiliary/Clerical hourly staff (based on pay grade midpoint)
• 4% for Administrative/Professional staff (based on pay grade midpoint)
• The adoption of a minimum $15 per hour wage for all hourly staff
Retention Incentive Payment in September
A lump-sum retention incentive payment of $1,000 will be given to returning permanent employees (including long-term substitutes) who commit to return to work with the district for the 2022-2023 school year.
The plan also included a recommendation of increasing the minimum hourly wage from $12 to $15 per hour – raising the pay for all hourly workers in the district.
The approved raise will equate to $3,950 per teacher, plus $1,000 in the incentive payment, for a total of $4,950 per teacher. Other employee raises vary by individual pay grade midpoints. The raises will go into effect in employees’ first 2022-2023 paycheck.
“Dripping Springs ISD is a destination district for families and we want to work to ensure that it is a destination district as an employer, too. We want talented and innovative life-changers to come and work here and build their careers with us,” said Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz, DSISD Superintendent. “I appreciate the board’s full support of the pay increase and incentives for our valued employees.”
