Katy ISD administrators to consider one-time lump sum payment for teachers

The Katy ISD Board of Trustees discussed a possible one-time lump sum payment for teachers at its June 17 work study meeting.

The overview

Brian Schuss, KISD human resources director, presented two options the district’s teacher retention committee wanted to recommend to the board.

The following options are based on rewarding teachers according to salary criteria of five, 10, 15 and 20 years of experience:

• $50 per year of service, which will begin after five years of service for a one-time payment of $250, $500 for 10 years of service, $750 for 15 years of service and $1,000 for 20 years of experience.
• $100 per year of service, which will also begin after five years of service for a one-time payment of $500, $1,000 for 10 years of service, $1,500 for 15 years of service and $2,000 for 20 years of service.

If the project is approved, no teachers with years of experience between the five benchmark years will receive these one-time payments. These one-time payments would be made to teachers based on their total years of experience, even if they were not with KISD, Schuss said at the meeting.

While some board members favored the idea of ​​providing teachers with at least $50 per year of service, other board members said they would like to see a different plan that would reward teachers who don’t reach the five-year reference salary.

Dig Deeper

Board member Dawn Champagne mentioned another plan discussed at the teacher retention committee meeting, in which teachers would first receive a one-time lump sum every 10 years, totaling at least $500, and teachers in the district who had 11 to 14 years of experience. would receive the 10-year lump sum payment during their first year as a teacher at KISD.

This plan would allow teachers who start at KISD with 16 to 19 years of experience to receive at least the 15-year experience payment of $750, Champagne said at the meeting.

While the cost to the district would be $770,000 or more than $1.5 million for the first two options, the cost for the third option would be approximately $2.8 million to $5.8 million, depending on district officials.

“The reason I proposed it was to make sure everyone got at least a bonus or a lump sum,” Champagne said. “The reason I suggested the tenth year is because many companies don’t really recognize the fifth year as a way to achieve longevity.”

What they said

Board member Amy Thieme said she thinks rewarding teachers who have at least five years of experience is the right move.

“When I look at the numbers and see that the majority of our teachers are five years old, I see value in that,” Thieme said. “We wouldn’t have teachers for 10 years if we didn’t have our teachers for five years. I wish we could do more. I wish we had money, but we just don’t have it this year.

Board member Rebecca Fox said she doesn’t think the one-time payment amounts are enough.

“This is not the right plan,” Fox said. “I think our experienced teachers deserve more recognition and more reward for the work they have done all their lives, and I think that is far from being the case.”

Board member Mary Cuzela said she believes the district is doing what it can with its current budget.

“I look at this as a foundation,” Cuzela said. “It’s … the least we can do in a tight budget year, and I applaud that effort, and I think it’s only positive.”

What else?

At its May 13 board meeting, trustees unanimously approved a 3 percent salary increase over the midpoint for KISD staff and teachers for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Impact on the community reported.

The district is expected to face a $7.8 million deficit in the 2024-25 fiscal year budget, Finance Director Christopher Smith said.

Board member Victor Perez said the deficit for fiscal year 2024-25 could potentially be eliminated due to underspending in the current budget for fiscal year 2023-24 and consumption of district reserve fund, but the deficit amount does not include the median increase or any of these potentials. Single lump sum payment options.

Stay tuned

Although the decision on the type of lump sum payment has not yet been determined, the board plans to consider it at its next meeting on June 24, along with further discussions.

The board will also approve the fiscal year 2024-25 budget at its August board meeting.