Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in The Waco Bridge’s June 24 newsletter.
A new state school funding package will give experienced Waco Independent School District teachers raises of thousands of dollars, but more than a quarter of teachers will be left out, officials said.
The school funding increase of $8.5 billion under House Bill 2 is welcome, but it also puts pressure on the district to raise pay for other teachers and support staff, Waco ISD Superintendent Tiffany Spicer said.
Under the state law, Waco ISD teachers with three to four years of experience will receive an additional $2,500 in the coming school year, while teachers with five or more years will receive $5,000. About 722 of Waco ISD’s 999 teachers fall into those categories, according to a board presentation last week.
“I’m going to say, thank you,” Spicer said in an interview last week. “But in reality, we need so much more. Because, of course, you know, they’re helping certain teachers, right? But not all teachers.”
The new funding package represents the biggest school funding increase in Texas history and includes about $4 billion for raises for teachers. For Waco ISD, the retention allotment will bring in an additional $3.3 million for more experienced teachers.
“But our job is to make sure that we’re taking care of all people,” Spicer said. “And I think one thing that people forget is that educators are not just teachers. That’s your custodian, it’s your bus driver, it’s your assistant principal, it’s your cafeteria worker.”
Other provisions in the bill provide small increases for teachers and support staff not eligible for the retention allotment. That increase would amount to a raise of less than 0.7%, according to a presentation to the board by Sheryl Davis, the district’s chief financial officer.
“If we want to give an increase at those levels that will have to come out of our balance basically,” Davis said.
Spicer said she hopes to provide raises for the left-out employees in the budget, which the board will review Aug. 14.
Smaller schools, bigger raises
Eligible teachers in Waco ISD and Midway ISD, the biggest districts in the county, will receive far less than their counterparts in smaller districts with student populations under 5,000.
Teachers in those smaller districts will get $4,000 for three to four years experience and $8,000 for five years or more.
The salary raises apply only to teachers who teach four or more hours per day and do not cover benefits.
