United Independent School District trustees approved a 2025–26 compensation package Tuesday that adopts a teacher pay scale aligned with state House Bill 2, raises several stipends and provides one‑time campus leadership payments.

The board approved a teacher salary scale that incorporates the state’s new allotments under House Bill 2 and district additions: first‑ and second‑year teachers would receive smaller increases while teachers with three to four years would receive $2,500 and those with five or more years would receive $5,000. The package also raises the special‑education resource teacher stipend to $1,400 for elementary and secondary and reclassifies special‑education unit and 1:1 aides to a higher pay grade with a starting rate of $14.29 per hour. Trustees approved a combination of a 2 percent across‑the‑board increase for some groups and a 3.5 percent increase with a $1,000 one‑time stipend for campus principals, assistant principals, deans and associate principals.

Why it matters: the board and staff said the package responds to state funding changes in HB 2 and local staffing shortages for hard‑to‑fill positions such as special‑education aides. Trustees and staff said the proposed changes will affect recruitment and retention and that HR needs a timely decision so recruiting can begin before the school year.

Board and staff described the salary changes as tied directly to House Bill 2, which the district said increased the basic allotment, added new allotments (including a teacher evaluation allotment and support staff retention allotment), and required districts with enrollments over 5,000 to use part of the new funds for teacher compensation. The district presentation included a proposed starting teacher salary of $53,500 and applied the HB 2‑related supplement amounts to build the local scale. District staff said projected revenue for the coming year is about $452,000,000 and that the draft budget shows revenues exceeding expenditures by roughly $4,000,000 with the current compensation proposals incorporated.

Discussion included board members pressing for equity across pay grades, requests for more granular modeling (1%, 2%, 3% scenarios) and concerns that central office administrator increases could widen gaps between high‑paid administrators and hourly employees. One trustee urged focusing raises on lower‑paid hourly staff, saying smaller percentage raises at higher salaries produce much larger dollar amounts than for low‑wage employees. Another trustee emphasized urgency, noting employees are asking whether they will receive raises and that HR needs final direction to recruit.

Public comment that preceded the vote included a three‑minute statement from Luis Delagarza urging “fair and just compensation” for all UISD employees and asking that stipends for coaches, band and ROTC directors and tutorial pay be increased. In the meeting, staff also noted prior one‑time payments and recent targeted increases to address vacancies for custodial, bus driver and police officer positions.

Decision and next steps: trustees approved the compensation package as amended in open session; the final motion included a 2% baseline increase, a 3.5% increase for selected groups and a $1,000 one‑time stipend for campus leadership roles (principals, assistant principals, deans and associate principals). District staff said they will finalize budget detail in July and August and bring a full budget and tax‑rate recommendation for adoption at a later meeting. The board directed staff to prepare the payroll implementation and continue to refine budget modeling and to return to the board with any needed clarifications.