ROUND ROCK, Texas — Two Central Texas school districts approved pay raises for employees Thursday night during their respective board meetings.
The Round Rock ISD school board unanimously approved pay increases for instructional support employees, including educational assistants. The raises go into effect immediately, according to the district.
“Our instructional support staff members are crucially important to the success of our students and we know their pay does not match the value they provide our campuses,” Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez said in a release. “This is an area that needed to be addressed immediately and I am grateful to the Board for recognizing the importance of this move.”
Educational assistants will receive a pay increase ranging from 10 to 18%, depending on a position level and current pay rate. As an example, the district said starting pay for an Educational Assistant II will increase from $13.15 to $15.50 an hour. The midpoint in that range moves from $16 to $18.68 an hour, and the top of the range increases from an hourly rate of $18.85 to $21.86.
According to the district, the highest-paid educational assistants are those who work with special education students in a Title 1 school setting. Starting pay in that category will move from an hourly rate of $15.92 to $17.94, the midpoint from $19.41 to $21.62, and the top of the range goes from $22.90 to $25.30.
The pay increase will cost an additional $470,000 this school year and will be funded through salary savings from unfilled positions, according to the district. The school board is also scheduled to consider the 2022-2023 compensation plan later this spring.
Meanwhile, Pflugerville ISD approved raises of 3% for teachers and other school staff. They also raised the district's minimum wage to $15 an hour.
At their board meeting, district leaders said they are facing two problems: wanting to pay staff better due to the rising cost of living and dealing with a budget deficit.
The board considered 2% or 2.5% raises, but ultimately went with the biggest raise on the table.
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