Fort Worth school board approves $819.5 million budget, pay increases for employees
The Fort Worth school board approved an estimated $819.5 million general fund budget Tuesday and increased teacher and employee pay for the upcoming school year.
The board voted 8-1 in favor of the budget. Trustee Camille Rodriguez was the sole “No” vote.
The board approved a 4% compensation increase for teachers and a 4% midpoint increase for all other employees except for para-professional and hourly employees, who will receive a 6% midpoint increase.
The board also raised the minimum rate to $15 per hour for all full-time hourly employees and approved a multitude of stipends and incentives for various district positions.
The pay raises amount to an estimated $30 million of the 2022-2023 general fund budget.
The budget reflects a reduction of 5.6% from the prior year’s budget of $865.5 million, but still shows deficit spending of about $40 million.
The district is projected to make $779.1 million in revenue while spending $819.5 million, with the deficit being covered by the district’s additional $281.4 million fund balance.
“The district is committed to continuing to work toward adopting a balanced budget while dealing with increasing operational costs due to inflation while providing competitive salaries for all of its workforce,” Chief Financial Officer Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria said.
Teachers will receive a 4% increase based on their base salary, with an entry-level salary now at $60,000.
Teachers with master’s degrees will receive a $1,400 stipend and teachers with a doctorate will see $3,000 extra.
Employees working for the district from Sept. 1, 2022 to May 26, 2023 will be eligible for an additional incentive bonus.
Full-time employees and 180-day substitute teachers will receive two $1,000 payments throughout the school year, one in December and the other in June.
Part-time employees will receive two $500 payments in December and June.
Substitutes that work at least 45 days a semester will be eligible for $500 each semester.
Several board members and speakers said they wanted to see a stipend for bilingual counselors, as other employees in the district receive bonuses for being bilingual.
The stipend was not included in the approved budget, but district officials said they would be looking into incentive packages in the coming months.
As district officials estimate a nearly 2,000 student enrollment drop, the district is predicting a more than $20 million loss in state funding.
Just fewer than 73,000 students are projected to be enrolled in the district.
In the district’s new budget, local revenue primarily from property taxes amounts to 62.3% of the funding.
Out of the $819.5 million in the budget, about $452 million will be allocated to instruction.
Tax rates for the district will be considered by the board in August.
