Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD trustees on Aug. 7 approved the district’s 2025–26 compensation plan after hearing a budget update and a third‑party compensation study. Administrators said the package combines new state funds for teacher retention and the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) with local pay‑structure adjustments recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

Carla Settle, the district’s budget officer, briefed trustees on fiscal pressures facing the general fund, including higher-than-projected homestead exemptions and recapture (the state redistribution of local tax effort), reduced investment earnings and timing differences in certain reimbursements. She said the board set aside reserves in 2020 for exactly such contingencies and that the district has reduced the projected fiscal-year deficit through hiring freezes, position consolidations and other measures.

A TASB compensation analysis presented to the board recommended midpoint‑based adjustments rather than flat percentage increases: under that model, pay moves toward a market midpoint and targets underpaid positions with larger adjustments. The district also highlighted the expansion and uptake of the Teacher Incentive Allotment: district staff said roughly 411 teachers earned TIA designations in recent cycles, producing several million dollars in state payouts to teachers.

Based on those inputs, administration recommended a package that includes state-provided retention payments, local schedule adjustments for teachers and non‑teaching staff, a district health‑insurance contribution increase, and targeted pay‑equity corrections. Board members approved the plan on a motion by Marjorie Barnes, seconded by Ileana Garza Rojas; Paul Gilmore announced an abstention because a family member is employed by the district. The motion passed 5–0 with one abstention.

Superintendent Dr. Eldridge and trustees said the board will continue monitoring revenues and expenditures, refine the two‑year plan to reach a balanced budget, and report updates periodically to the board.