Bastrop ISD adopts 2025–26 budget and compensation plan; approves bond sale and other measures

The Bastrop Independent School District Board of Trustees on June 17 approved the district's 2025'26 general, debt-service and food-service budgets and a yearly compensation plan, authorized the sale of the remaining bonds from the 2023 program, approved an application for the district's Optional Flexible School Day Program and took several other formal actions.

The budget adoption and compensation plan together formalize pay changes the district and state enacted this spring. The board adopted a balanced general-fund budget for 2025'26 and a compensation plan that incorporates the state's teacher pay increases and district-funded adjustments for other employees.

Chief Financial Officer Mike White told trustees that the district will reflect state-funded teacher pay increases (state guidance tied the payments to employees reported in a teaching capacity at 0.5 FTE on the fall PEIMS submission) and will add district-funded increases for support staff and administrators. White said the district raised its starting teacher salary from $56,000 to $57,750 and increased some support-staff pay (he described a 5% increase for some categories and a 3.5% market adjustment for others); administrators received a 3%…