Many area independent school districts are announcing their teachers and employees will receive wage raises for the upcoming school year.

According to the district’s press release, the Highland Park ISD (HPISD) Board of Trustees overwhelmingly authorized a 5% wage rise for district teachers and employees for the 2022-23 school year. According to the district, the 5% wage raise follows a 3% salary raise for teachers and employees in the 2021-22 academic year.

Highland Park ISD Board President Tom Sharpe stated, “Our teachers and staff highly deserve this increase in salary. It is safe to say that this is the largest-ever 2-year increase in teacher and staff salaries in HPISD. Thank you to our community for its approval of the Golden Penny election to enable additional revenue to be raised to support our valued teachers and staff members.” 

The following factors, as per Highland Park ISD, will contribute to a 5% increase:

  • 2% of planned revenue stems from the Golden Penny election,
  • 1% of the additional money was generated by the four Golden Pennies’ greater taxable assessed values,
  • 1% comes from the district’s initial four Golden Pennies, which were in place previous to last fall’s election, and,
  • 1% is provided by the Tartan Endowment of the Highland Park Education Foundation (HPEF) and the upcoming yearly Mad for Plaid campaign.
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All employees will receive a 5% raise based on the average of their respective compensation ranges. Per the district, raises will commence at the start of the 2022-23 contractual year. The starting salary for new teachers in the Highland Park ISD has increased to keep pace with inflation.

On May 17, the Plano ISD Governing board authorized its own payment plan. New plans will see an increase of 4% for teachers, librarians, and nurses and a 3% increase in the control rate for all other employees. It also calls for a raise in the starting wages of Plano ISD teachers. The starting salary for instructors with a bachelor’s degree but no prior work experience will be $58,250. Entry-level teachers with a master’s degree and no prior experience will earn $60,250.

“We value our employees and are fortunate to have the best of the best,” School Board President David Stolle remarked to WFAA. The board’s first objective will be to keep the best instructors and personnel to keep compensation competitive. Some other aspects of the current compensation scheme include:

  • The cost of health insurance for district employees has been increased to $315 per month,
  • A one-time compensation of $1,000 for instructors and $500 for other workers to help retain and recruit,
  • Wage raises for mechanics, cafeteria workers, cashiers, and paraprofessionals in special education,
  • A stipend of $4,000 per year for teachers who are bilingually certified and,
  • Increasing the stipend for special education to $3,000.

According to the next Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Theresa Williams, “Our employees are our most valuable resource and are vital to the growth, care, and success of our students. We see on a daily basis how much our employees give of themselves. We appreciate their talent and their work. We are grateful for every one of them. In a time when educators are facing more challenges than ever, providing an increase in compensation is just one way of saying ‘thank you’ for being part of our Plano ISD family.”

This year’s Duncanville ISD Governing board overwhelmingly approved an increase in remuneration for all district employee’s job groups between 4% and 6%. The following are some of the most critical aspects of the compensation plan:

  • $57,000 is the starting compensation for a new teacher,
  • All teachers’ salaries will increase by 6.6%,
  • All other employees will see a 4% boost in their base compensation,
  • There will be a stipend of $2,000 for those who have worked in Duncanville ISD for more than 15 years,
  • Duncanville ISD will offer stipends and signing incentives of up to $12,000 to employees in positions that are difficult to fill,
  • All holdings are subject to market modifications as necessary, and,
  • The cost of medical insurance will decrease.

Outside of Dallas, Arlington ISD increased teacher and staff pay with a 4% raise for the 2022-23 school year. The starting salary for new teachers is now $60,400, with stipends available for bilingual, special education, and master’s degree teachers.

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