Dear SAISD Staff:

As we have been sharing, the first steps toward school finance reform were successful in this legislative session. We were effective in advocating for a greater state investment in public education, and legislators came through not only for us, but for all public school districts across the state.

Our goal in being so vocal with our state leaders was to ensure we were able to continue to invest in our student programs and provide well-deserved raises for our staff, while maintaining a balanced budget. And to that end, mission accomplished!

The recent legislation is providing the District with increased funding, and tonight, our Trustees approved a compensation plan for the 2019-20 school year. This plan includes pay increases for all permanent full-time employees and an increase in the minimum entry hourly rate for non-exempt, permanent full-time employees. 

A portion of the budget increase from the state was designated for enhanced compensation, particularly for teachers, registered nurses, librarians and counselors, with priority to those who have completed five full years or more by the end of their 2018-19 contract year. 

A key element of our budget consideration was sustainability of any compensation increase beyond the state’s commitment of the next two years. While we are optimistic about the state’s focus on education, we must also be responsible in our decision making to ensure our financial future is sound.

Within these parameters, we are proud to be able to reach our living wage initiative of $15 for our lowest-paid employees and to also remain competitive in our region for teacher salaries. To further support teachers, SAISD will work to align its Master Teacher initiative with the new state teacher compensation plan. The state plan will not only provide additional money for Master Teachers, but expand compensation to other qualified teachers as well.

It was an honor to prepare and put forth this compensation plan to the Trustees. Please know the Board and I greatly appreciate your commitment to our District and to our students. 

For more detailed information about the raises approved by the Board, please refer to the compensation webpage. You may also email Compensation or call them at 554-8460 with questions. 

Before I close, I also want to share that, overall, the District’s results on STAAR and End of Course (EOC) exams continue to look good. Even if in some places we are not where we want to be, we made significant progress and there are many bright spots. And I owe this to you and your efforts. Thank you.

The SAISD family is a powerful team, and you make me proud every day.

Sincerely,
Pedro