AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: This article has been edited to clarify Manor ISD's proposed raises.
More Central Texas school districts are approving pay raises for teachers and staff.
On Monday night, at least four districts approved new pay rates for the next school year. Those districts signed off on raises ranging from 1% to 3%.
San Marcos CISD approved a 3% raise, including a starting salary of $55,000 a year. Del Valle ISD approved a 3% increase and an increase of the minimum hourly wage to $18 an hour. Dripping Springs ISD approved a 1% increase for all pay grades across the board. And Georgetown ISD approved a 3.5% raise for all teachers and librarians, with plans to boost teacher salaries from $54,450 to $56,500.
For context, last year, San Marcos, Dripping Springs and Georgetown ISDs approved 3% raises, while Del Valle ISD approved a 6% raise.
“We are committed to offering competitive salaries for in Del Valle ISD,” Acting Superintendent Jonathan Harris said. “Del Valle leads the region in teacher salaries, and this increase gives us a major recruiting tool as we search for the best candidates to join our community, to teach and support our hardworking and talented students.”
RELATED: Lockhart ISD approves raises for upcoming school year as other Texas school districts make cuts
More districts are also considering calling voter-approved tax rate elections, or VATREs, this fall, which leaders say could increase revenue to help pay for raises in the future.
On Monday night, leaders in San Marcos CISD said if they don't explore that option now, it may spell trouble for next spring.
"Unless there's great action elsewhere, we will not have the funds to be able to do an increase, certainly not of this size and potentially not at all next year," Anne Halsey, president of the San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees, said.
On Tuesday night, Manor ISD trustees approved 1% raises for employees and explored calling a VATRE, which would increase raises to 3% of the midpoint for the 2024-25 school year.
This spring, leaders in a lot of districts statewide have said they're facing budget issues because last year, the Texas Legislature didn't increase the basic allotment, which is what the state pays each district, per student. Right now, the state pays districts about $6,160 per student. That rate hasn't gone up since 2019.
Some Democratic lawmakers want Gov. Greg Abbott to call them back to the Texas Capitol for another special legislative session to increase school funding. But the governor says they could have done that last year because a proposal to create a state-funded school voucher program to help parents pay for private school also included school finance measures.