BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD WALKS THROUGH PAY RAISE POSSIBILITIES, APPROVES NEW ASST. PRINCIPAL AT JUNIOR HIGH

  

The Brenham School Board continued working through potential plans for how to give additional compensation to Brenham ISD employees during a lengthy budget workshop today (Monday).

Trustees spent most of the discussion focusing on the money currently available for the district to use through the school finance bill passed by state legislators.  Approximately $1,041,843 in new funding through the state’s allotments can go toward improving teacher and staff pay, not counting any possible revenue that comes from a voter approval tax rate election (VATRE). 

Presently on the table for consideration, beyond the mandated $4,000 and $8,000 teacher pay raises covered by the state, is increasing the cap for teacher step scale raises from 25 to 30, providing extra pay for the district’s most experienced teachers.  

The district is also looking at providing raises to new teachers in steps 0, 1 and 2, as well as a raise for all non-teaching staff, though the specific amounts for those have not been nailed down.  The board was initially presented with a proposal for a $3,000 raise for teachers on the lowest three steps and a 2.75 percent raise for non-teachers, but trustees expressed openness to reducing the teacher raise to a range of $1,500 - $2,000 and increasing the raise for non-teachers to 3 percent, since the latter would benefit more employees.  Some additional funding is available for the district to work with when compared to previous budget estimates, as original budget numbers overstated the amount needed to pay for benefits.

Given the ongoing discussion of Brenham ISD’s strategic planning committee about a VATRE to support further pay raises, the district has to create a budget with contingency language that supports additional payroll expenses in the event that a VATRE passes in November, which would provide up to $2,451,117 in additional revenue.

The strategic planning committee will present its recommendations to the board about whether to pursue a VATRE, as well as a possible bond election dedicated to facility needs, at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, August 12^th.  The meeting will also include a public hearing for the proposed budget and tax rate. 

In other business at today’s meeting, trustees approved the hiring of Jessica Lewis for assistant principal at Brenham Junior High School.  Lewis, a Brenham High School graduate who was a teacher for nine years at Krause Elementary School, has most recently been serving as a team leader and 6^th grade math teacher in Waller ISD.  She has a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Sam Houston State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M University.

The board also approved an annual item to delegate contractual authority to the superintendent regarding the purchase of attendance credits for the 2025-26 school year. 

Click here to listen to the audio recording from the Brenham School Board's meeting on Monday.