Manor ISD librarians and elementary counselors ask board to reconsider pay classification and 1% raise

Rachel Pettit, who presented on behalf of high-school and campus librarians, and Katrina Base, speaking for elementary counselors, urged the Manor Independent School District board on Sept. 15 to reconsider recent pay decisions that group librarians and some counselors with support staff and to approve larger raises than a 1% staff increase.

Pettit said the district has not had a high school librarian for nearly eight years and asked the board to “reevaluate the role of school librarians as educators on the pay scale.” She said librarians are certified teachers who “hold a master’s degree or more and have a minimum of two years in the classroom” and that equating them with paraprofessionals and secretaries is “an insult.” Pettit told trustees the new pay scale leaves many librarians “almost $2,000 less than teachers of our same year.” (Public comment; Rachel Pettit: transcript block starting at 4441.7847.)

Katrina Base, identifying herself as speaking for elementary school counselors, asked that the district “review the counselor compensation plan and that raises beyond the 1% staff increase be considered.” Base described counselors’ duties as including classroom instruction, small-group interventions and crisis response. She said elementary counselors spend 35% to 45% of their time teaching, rising to “65% to 85%” when small groups and tiered interventions are included, and contrasted counselors’ 192-day contracts with teachers’ 187-day contracts. She said counselor-to-student ratios at Manor campuses range “from 400 to 700 students per counselor,” while the Texas model recommends about 250-to-1. (Public comment; Katrina Base: transcript block starting at 4630.09.)

Both speakers asked the board to meet with staff representatives to discuss compensation and to consider a pay structure that recognizes master’s-level certification and instructional time. Neither the superintendent nor the board took action during the public-comment period; board policy and the Texas Open Meetings Act limit trustees’ responses during that forum, and the meeting proceeded to scheduled agenda items.

The speakers and other librarians and counselors in the room left trustees with written materials; Pettit said an infographic from the American Association of School Librarians and a letter authored by high-school librarian Cindy Berarsi Cole were provided to the board. Base asked that the district align counselor pay across elementary, middle and high school levels, noting neighboring districts place counselors on the same pay scale across levels.

Trustees did not make any immediate personnel or pay decisions on the record at the Sept. 15 meeting. The concerns were raised during the public forum portion of a regular board meeting and therefore require follow-up or placement on a future agenda before board action can occur.

Ending: The district’s next regular board meeting was confirmed for Oct. 27, 2025; staff or trustees who wish to pursue changes to pay scales would need to place proposals on a future board agenda for deliberation and possible action.