School board approves pay raises
By Melinda L. Lucas
Teacher pay raises were approved for those who have “topped out” on the state salary scale during the June 19 meeting of the Albany ISD school board.
Trustees also heard about several staff candidates who had been interviewed, and even though some of those came with administrator recommendations, the board ultimately gave superintendent Jonathan Scott the authority to make final decisions about filling vacancies rather than voting individually on the applicants.
Candidates were discussed for the elementary and secondary PEIMS positions, sixth grade RLA, 2 high school science teachers, and a possible head girls basketball coach.
“It’s the biggest jigsaw puzzle I’ve ever had to deal with,” said Scott, referring to the ongoing teacher shortage. “We’re having to think outside of the box every day.”
At that time, there were still no staff options for a secondary speech/health, junior high history, and junior high girls coach.
Teacher Salaries
After a lengthy discussion about the lack of action by the Texas legislature and governor vetoes regarding education, the board voted to approve a three percent salary increase for certified teachers and support staff who have 20+ years of experience and have “topped out” on TEA’s teacher pay scale.
“There was a rumor that the state was going to increase teacher salaries by $15,000, then it dropped to $6,000, then to zero,” said Scott, who added that Gov. Abbott had vetoed over 76 bills in the recent session.
He believes that a special session will not convene until after the school year starts in September.
The board approved the three percent with a plan to revisit later in the year if the state does not increase salaries.
Trustees also approved the distribution of the remaining $40,000 in ESSER2 funds as a “thank you” to returning staff.
Other Business
•Safety officer Xavier Perez and Scott gave an update on new state regulations, including the possible requirement of an armed officer at both campuses.
•Scott went over a list of short and long-range capital outlay items as they pertained to the budget currently being developed.
•Preliminary end-of-course exam results were presented, but final EOC and STAAR scores are not expected until Aug. 11.
