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El Campo ISD outlines FY26 budget plan, ties teacher raises to new state allotments
Summary
At its June 25 meeting the El Campo Independent School District presented recommended FY26 budget actions that would use state allotments to fund pay increases for classroom teachers and a 4% raise recommendation for other staff.
El Campo Independent School District officials at a June 25 board meeting described a preliminary FY26 budget plan that relies on newly announced state allotments to fund targeted raises for classroom teachers and a smaller across‑the‑board increase for other employees.
The district said classroom teachers who have completed five or more years of service would receive $8,000 under the state allotment; teachers with three or four years would receive $4,000. The district intends to provide a 4% raise to staff in other pay categories and use a $45 per average daily attendance (ADA) allotment for additional raises.
"I just want to be transparent because I don't want everybody to get caught up in what they've actually seen in the media and thinking that there's a whole bunch of extra money," Mr. Wells said while presenting the budget background. He and other staff cautioned that some of the allotment funding will be fronted by the district until state settlement adjustments are processed.
District staff gave these approximate breakdowns: about 240 employees coded as teachers, roughly 30 of whom are not classroom teachers (for example, instructional coaches, counselors, nurses). Of the roughly 210 classroom‑coded positions, staff said about 170 have five or more years of experience and would qualify for the $8,000 allotment; the remainder includes teachers with three or four years and those with zero to two years who would fall into the $4,000 category.
Staff said the state had provided $390 per student multiplied by the district's reported 2,970 ADA, which the presentation estimated at about $1,158,300. The administration also said it expects to front payroll and later be adjusted in state settlements, and gave an estimate that the district may need to pay out approximately $1,560,000 to meet what staff described as a $12,000 threshold for full implementation in the district's pay model.
Board members asked whether the allotments are permanent; Wells said the allotment is being described as permanent but noted the practical uncertainty of future legislative action. The district recommended using the allotment dollars specifically for classroom teachers designated in state coding and said positions coded as administrators or diagnosticians would not qualify for the teacher allotment if they are not coded as classroom teachers.
Superintendent and campus leaders also told the board they intend to prioritize compensation over nonessential program spending this year, saying they will "invest in our people" rather than buy additional materials or peripheral programs.
District staff said more detailed budget templates and additional state releases were expected before final budget approval. The board was given preliminary numbers for review and staff said a fuller budget recommendation will return to the board in coming weeks.
