BISD BOARD APPROVES 4.69 PERCENT PAY INCREASE
The Brenham School Board approved a 4.69 percent midpoint pay increase for all district employees at their noon meeting today (Monday). The increase will move the starting teacher salary to just over 40 thousand dollars up from 38 thousand last year. The pay increase would raise the districts payroll 1.1 million dollars, but because some employees are paid through Federal programs and because of staffing reductions, the actual increase to the operating budget is only 576 thousand dollars. District Finance Director Kim Horne explained what this means for the District:
The new compensation package also adds a $2500 stipend for bilingual teachers and a $1000 stipend for teachers with a Master’s Degree. Substitute teacher pay will also increase depending on the term and qualifications of the substitute anywhere from $10 to $20 per day above last year. Kim Horne commented on the effect the increases have on morale:
In other action, the Board approved the hiring of Lakesha Walker as the Alton Elementary School Improvement Officer. She was previously a reading workshop teacher in the Cypress ISD. The Board also approved Michael Watts as the new Principal at the DAEP/ PRIDE Academy. Watts served many years as an Associate Principal at Brenham High School.
The Board also approved some administrative reshuffling:
Kay Domel, previously the Administrator at DAEP/Pride Academy will now be an Assistant Principal at Brenham Junior High School. Don Silvey, previously the Dean of Students at DAEP/Pride Academy will be moving back to the High School as an Assistant Principal. Toni Schwartz, will be moving from Krause to Alton Elementary as an Assistant Principal and Monte Shields will be moving from Alton to Krause Elementary as an Assistant Principal.
This is deceiving. While we pat our administrators on the back for this 4.69% increase, in reality this is just window dressing. I know numerous tenured teachers who will see less than $100 per month increase in their gross salary. I suspect the astronomical turnover rate of our most talented teachers will continue, as the more aggressive school districts recruit them out of BISD. Increased turnover equates to a lack of continuity and inexperienced staff.
Administrators do not act suprised when the state threatens to shut down your new school due to poor test scores, as your continued policy of refusing to be competitive with teacher salaries is a direct reflection of that longtime and misguided way of thinking.
Although we live in the Fort Worth area now, I try to stay informed about the happenings around town and specifically in the school district Steve and I enjoyed working in during the ten years we lived there. It is great to see positive changes that include the substitute teachers. If I had unlimited funds & a plane, I might consider flying in, working at the high school & grabbing some food at Southern Flyer or Must Be Heaven!
Perhaps it would be helpful to explain what a “mid-point” pay increase is and how it really effects a teacher. In the past we have seen all these great articles promising raises of a certain percentage only to find the percentage paid to my wife, a tenured teacher, did not come anywhere close to the widely published rate that was in the media. It was certainly disappointing.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Jackson and Ms.. Horne and Mrs. Oliverez for this decision to increase the pay for substitute teachers of the BISD> Since retiring from Blinn College I have been a substitute teacher in the district for the past 5 years. Recently, I shared an Internet article of March 20, 2015, with Mrs. Olivarez, BISD Human Resources Director, which headlined “Schools nationwide struggle with substitute teacher shortage” I have also shared the content of this article with BISD students and parents. Thank you, Dr. Jackson and BISD administrative staff, for your attention locally to this concern, nationside.
Sincerely,
Donald R. Stafford, Ed. D.
I am a former teacher in BISD. It’s great to read of positive changes. I am retired now, and I enjoy the great memories of working in BISD.