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DPISD approves across-the-board pay raise
Tuesday's Deer Park ISD Board of Trustees combined workshop and regular meeting proved to be a busy evening. The first order of business was to install Mike Mills as the Board's newest member. Mills, was asked by and appointed to the Board to fill the unexpired term of Board member Jack Beckham, Jr., who resigned last month.
Among the measures approved by the Board was an across-the-board salary increase for DPISD employees, including a starting salary for a first-year, no-experience teacher of $49,000.
The pay raise comes on the heels of a 2009 state legislature-mandated step-increase for teachers, nurses, counselors, librarians and speech pathologists for the 2009-10 school year. School districts across the state contend the legislation was unclear about whether the increase included the 2010-11 school year.
Peaches McCroskey, assistant superintendent for human resources, said the district chose to be proactive and recommended the salary increase for teachers, nurses and librarians. Because the district pays speech pathologists on a different scale, they were not included in the district's step-increase approach. However, an additional increase of 3 percent of the midpoint salary will be implemented for those positions. Also, all employees on a position pay and al non-certified employees will receive a 3 percent of midpoint raise. Employees receiving a stipend for extra-curricular responsibilities will receive a 3 percent of midpoint increase.
"The increase for teachers, librarians and nurses has the step-increase and is rounded up to what 3 percent of the midpoint would be," McCroskey said. "We did not give the step-increase and then add the 3 percent."
The Deer Park Educator's Association applauded the across-the-board raise.
"The district has been very good to its employees over the years," said Ana Mercado, DPEA president, after the board approved the salary increase. "We can entice new teachers to come here and have the means to keep them."
Gordon Gauthier president of the Texas State Teachers Association Region 3C, said DPISD has been in the forefront of providing for its employees, even in tough economic times.
"The district has always done what was right. The state mandated a step-increase for teachers, nurses and librarians. It was not supposed to be for everyone, but the administration went ahead and gave everyone the raise. Deer Park realizes that everyone shares the work in what we do," he said.
DPISD will pay approximately $2,281,972 in additional total compensation, which will be presented in the 2010-11 budget.
For first-time teachers, a starting salary of $49,000 should be enough to lure well-qualified candidates, McCroskey said.
"We know we are not the highest (first-year salary) around, and some other districts gave slightly higher and slightly lower pay raises. But, we have one of the lowest teacher turnover rates in Harris County. Once we get them here, we tend to keep them."
Gauthier said the entry-level teachers' salary comes at a time when young adults and future retirees could benefit from the wages.
"When I came to DPISD in 1972, the starting wage was $7,680. Now school is more expensive and the new teachers are coming out of college with all these loans they have to pay off," he said. "Retirement is based on a teacher's three best [highest-paid] years. This raises the average so it's good for everyone in the district."
In other business, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved contracts for out of district placements and educational diagnosticians; the sale and delivery of bonds in the amount of $41.91 million; entered an agreement for school resource officers and crossing guards with the city of Deer Park; electrical power procurement; facility rental guidelines; and the handbook for non-contract employees.