BURTON SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES PAY RAISES
Teachers and staff in Burton ISD are getting a raise ahead of the new school year.
The Burton School Board on Monday approved a step increase plus $3,000 for teacher salaries, and a 5 percent increase for the salaries of staff, administration and the superintendent. The average starting salary for teachers in Burton ISD is now $42,000.
Superintendent Dr. Edna Kennedy said Burton ISD is behind most of the salary steps in the area, and wants to be able to properly compensate and accommodate employees.
Initially, the board considered a proposal for a step increase plus $2,000 for teachers. However, trustee Donna Putnam said there is “a huge shortage of teachers everywhere”, and asked the board to bring that increase to $3,000 or $4,000 to attract more teachers.
Business Manager Caitlyn Blakey-Staal said while the budget can support an increase up to $4,000 at this time, she is cautious about doing so because of the current uncertainty with the economy. Trustee David Warner, Sr. then suggested doing a $3,000 increase this year and another $1,000 next year, which other board members vocally supported.
No action was taken on a related item to change the supplemental salary schedule for substitute teachers and substitute bus drivers, as the board wished to spend more time fine-tuning numbers.
In other action Monday, trustees approved a proposal with KLC Video Security for $57,930 for a keyless access entry control system. Dr. Kennedy said the proposal covers cameras for the exterior, but the company is still working on the proposal for interior access control.
During a discussion on school security, Dr. Kennedy said she feels the district is in a good position, but it can always be better.
Dr. Kennedy also announced that three candidates have applied for the high school principal position formerly held by Matthew Wamble, who has accepted a new role as the principal of Taylor High School. Interviews will begin next week.
Also on Monday, the board:
- Administered the oath of office to trustees Demetrius Colvin, Sr. and Jeff Harmel, who were unopposed during the May 7th The board then reorganized, naming Harmel as board president, Misty Lucherk as vice president and Putnam as secretary.
- Approved the creation of an instructional coordinator position by splitting the existing instructional coach position into two positions, one serving elementary students and one serving secondary students. Kennedy said the current instructional coach will transfer into the secondary position if he chooses it.
- Approved choosing Lightspeed as the district’s internet content filter.
- Approved Region VI, Education Service Center e-Contracts.
- Approved an Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) application.
Thank you Ms. Putnan for recognizing the need for Burton ISD to keep up with inflation and surrounding salaries. I know that MANY of the Burton elementary staff go above and beyond to meet the needs of their students.
JD, I am a little confused by your comment that generally teachers teach because they want to. Hmm. I hope all people “work” because they want to.
The “students” these days are difficult to teach because they don’t have the “drive/desire” that children did twenty years ago. Many are disrespectful. I would hate to be a teacher in today’s classroom due to the stress teachers have on them.
STAAR test, TEKS to teach. Data to collect.
Be a counselor, nurse, encourager and more.
Teachers are professionals. They should be paid as other professionals are paid. Many still owe student loans.
Sad! Teacher salaries are TOO low (pitiful is the word) in this area. Teachers are exiting the Brenham ISD by the bus load and other districts are experiencing similar situations. Teachers with 5 years of experience should earn NO LESS THAN $75 yearly! It takes about 5 years for a young graduate to actually learn how to teach effectively. Given those salary levels for an entry level teaching job for a husband and wife is around $84,000 in Burton is stone-age stupidity. You cannot live on that kind of salary! These elites that run our schools and government is causing this nation to become the land of the “dumb and dumber”. This Euro-centric ideology that teachers are female and not the breadwinners therefore do not have to paid substantial wages is cave man thinking.
Teachers do get the Summer off, and can also choose to do other work during the Summer months.
I do think that they should be paid more, but the numbers depend on the budget, not on anything else. Teaching is generally a job you do because you want to do it, not because it is a high paying entry level job.
Teachers do not get paid for the summer that they have “off.” Many teachers spend the majority of that summer “off” working on things needed for the next school year. Getting another job isn’t that easy. Yes, teachers want to teach. But teachers, as professionals, deserve to make a living wage. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about a second job to make ends meet and feed their families. Please stop with the gaslighting.
I also believe that teachers should get paid more, especially the good teachers.
Not all teachers are good teachers.
The problem there is with teachers unions, like other unions, it is hard to get rid of the bad ones. I think they should get paid on performance, not on just being there. Teachers get the summer off ( most of it anyway) they get weekends, holidays, and holiday breaks off.
They work in an air conditioned environment. M-F, and get a guaranteed paycheck, regardless of the economy, so let’s not describe Teachers as soo unfairly treated. They should get paid more. Especially the ones who do the job well, and have been there longer. The money needs to come from somewhere. I know it’s there, wherever there is, taxes, grants, donations, special funding, less administration in general.
Somewhere. Maybe instead of creating new office jobs for the ISD’s, spread that around an add it to the salaries, its a start.
Sadly, our teachers ARE DECIDING TO DO OTHER WORK; FULL TIME AND PERMANENTLY. Budgets are not cast in iron! Budgets can be changed, amended or adapted to FIT THE IMMEDIATE NEED. Those who say, “it’s not in the budget” are offering juvenile excuses. PUT IT IN THE BUDGET! By any mean necessary the salaries of teachers MUST be radically increased if we are to continue educating our children. Principals, superintendents, counselors and other administrative employees DO NOT DIRECTLY TEACH STUDENTS. Neither do school board members, desks, new athletic facilities nor new buildings. Teachers are the most valuable asset in our/any school district. You get what you pay for! The Brenham ISD DOES NOT EVEN OFFER A COMPETITIVE SALARY PACKAGE! Only a fool works a job without any consideration of pay or perks! Teachers with 5 years of class room experience should be paid no less than $75,000 yearly!
Teachers spend their summers completing professional development, trainings, and aquiring CEU’s to maintain their certification in preparation for the next school year. It is by no means a summer off in the same way the kids have it. We still have lots of work to do.
I am a teacher and I can tell you that so far this summer between meetings, professional development and summer programs I have worked everyday. It concerns me that people have this outlook because teachers make all other jobs possible. If you want your children to have a quality education you have to pay teachers a competitive salary
Agreed! Also, if we want this nation to be competitive and our young people to be competent to compete in a global environment we must take care of the teaching profession. Teachers HAVE ALWAYS had a hard time getting the financial respect that is due to them as the educators of future generations. Especially in this school district. To all of the teachers in BISD … I feel & see your pain and I understand your frustration!
Are you just trolling for laughs?
Teachers don’t get paid for holidays or the summer.
Besides, dealing with attitudes like this is similar to why teachers need to chill in the summer.
Competing with their students for jobs, LOL!
The Census says that the median household income of a married-couple family household in Washington County is $85,952, so half of households here make less than what you’ve said is unlivable. That kind of situation is pretty good, too. Married people can take care of each other and support what’s best for the family. If you ignore marital status, the median three-person family household is earning just $65,429 per year.