Sharyland ISD staff present new staffing standards, compensation plan and budget scenarios

Sharyland ISD staff briefed the school board at a workshop on a proposed multi-year approach to staffing and compensation, saying the plan will set districtwide staffing standards—how many teachers, counselors and aides each campus should have—clarify how full-time equivalents (FTEs) are used across programs and show several pay-increase scenarios under current state law.

District staff framed the work as fiscally responsible planning tied to student achievement. “We are here for budget workshop number 2 of the season. The fun one: staffing and compensation,” the presenter said at the start of the workshop. The presentation emphasized that staff costs account for roughly 80–85% of the district’s general operating budget and that personnel decisions are the district’s largest recurring expenditure.

The staffing standards proposal would: set state-mandated classroom ratios (elementary 22:1; secondary 25:1), establish target counselor ratios (elementary about 350:1; middle/high about 400:1), and adopt a cohort model at secondary schools so a counselor and assistant principal follow a student cohort for multiple years. For special education the district proposed moving toward a goal caseload of about 20 students per certified inclusion teacher (the presenter said current caseloads are closer to 25–30 and that aides cannot carry caseloads). Life-skills and 18-plus programs would remain staffed to state-required ratios (example given: 13:1 with two instructional aides, with exceptions for 1:1 needs).

Staff also outlined changes to how athletic duty and other program assignments are treated. The…