SISD provides raises in new compensation plan

Sharyland ISD employees will finally receive their long-awaited raises. The board of trustees approved an increase in overall employee compensation at the June meeting after approving the $138 million budget for the 2024-25 school year.

Last year, the district only provided one-time $1,500 retention stipends to the employees. Sharyland, like many other districts, was waiting for state leaders to adjust school funding for inflation before approving a pay raise they feared the district could not sustain. Ultimately, the state never came through with the extra funding, and the district did not provide the permanent pay increase.

This year, the conversation is different. This year, the district will be able to tap into what is known as “disaster pennies,” which is a way the district can increase the maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate without going to the voters for approval, according to SISD Chief Financial Officer Jaime Ortega. Under Tax Code 26.042, the district can adopt a higher M&O tax rate with only board approval if the district incurred property damage in a disaster.

“If you recall that wind storm of April 2023, the district did sustain over a million dollars in damages,” Ortega said. “[To adopt the disaster pennies] the governor had to declare disaster for our area and Governor Abbott did declare South Texas April storms as a disaster. And then on top of that, the governor had to request federal assistance, and the governor did declare federal assistance. So everything was in place for the district to adopt disaster pennies.”

With the disaster pennies helping the district generate almost $2 million more in revenue for this year only, Sharyland could provide the compensation package they approved at the June meeting.

Originally, administrative staff recommended a conservative 2% increase for all employees. However, after a lengthy discussion, the trustees voted for a 3% increase for hourly employees, a $1,600 increase (about 2.75%) for teachers and a 2.5% increase for non-teaching professionals.

But before the trustees reached their decision, board members Julio Cerda and Dr. Noe Oliveira tried fighting for an overall 3% raise.

“There’s been a big increase in cost throughout the Valley, throughout the state, and I think they deserve it — us to give them the 3%,” Cerda said. “Based on inflation, and based on [the fact that] we haven’t given them a raise…I think we need to do this now because who knows what’s going to happen later for the teachers…Inflation is hurting them.”

But the other board members had concerns about sustainability. And superintendent Dr. Elaine Howard specifically said the district could not handle a 3% pay increase for everyone.

“If we did 3% across the board, it would be right at $2 million, which would be more than stretching it for the district, to the point of if we hit any sort of emergency or contingency on a building or what have you, we would not be in a good situation,” Howard said. “We would be really stretching it.”

Board President Maritza Venecia explained her thoughts on the matter.

“What can we afford without putting anyone’s job in jeopardy next year? That’s important to me,” she said. “So can everybody get a raise and ideally everybody keep their jobs next year and [can we] sustain our programs for our kids and maybe walk around SHS during a rainstorm and have a few less buckets in the hallways? There’s all these considerations.”

According to Venecia’s math, the maximum the district could comfortably extend the budget was a 3% raise for hourly employees, a $1,600 increase for teachers and a 2.5% increase for non-teaching professionals.

“I think it’s the furthest stretch that we can take,” the board president said. “It gives everybody a much needed raise. Maybe for some people it’ll feel like a sprinkle in a drought but it’s what we can do, it’s what’s fair, it’s what allows us to be sustainable and it’s absolutely what everybody deserves.”

Board Vice President Hector Rivera wanted to clarify his position after some back and forth with Cerda.

“I just want everyone to understand there is a huge difference from the word ‘deserves’ and what the district can afford responsibly,” Rivera said. “So, I thank everyone for what they do and I think everyone deserves the world that works here for Sharyland. But I would hate to even put one person’s job in jeopardy because everybody counts on their job to pay the bills.”

He continued.

“And again, [this is] all hanging on the contingency to increase enrollment because we’re not getting more money from the state. And keep in mind we don’t get more money from our taxpayers because over the last five years we’ve lowered the tax rate for our taxpayers,” he said. “But I can tell you, in working with all the people here and even the ones that aren’t here, as money comes in, the focus is always on how we can give it back to our teachers and staff.”

The board approved the new compensation plan in a 6-0 vote; trustee Andrew Riddle was absent.