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TASB market review: Arlington ISD generally pays above market but long‑term legislative uncertainty could affect budgets
Summary
A TASB‑supported compensation analysis presented to the Arlington ISD board found the district’s teacher hiring schedule and most non‑teacher job groups sit above market midpoints. Staff warned of likely TRS ActiveCare premium increases and noted pending state legislation could affect district funding and salary decisions.
TASB consultants and Arlington ISD human resources staff on May 20 presented a market pay review and compensation analysis showing Arlington ISD’s pay schedules generally exceed local market midpoints for teachers and other job groups.
Keith McLemore of TASB described the project methodology—matching district jobs to market benchmarks and analyzing pay grades and midpoints—and reported that Arlington’s teacher hiring schedule aligns favorably with market. McLemore said the district’s teacher schedule was roughly symmetrical with benchmark market values and that Arlington’s average teacher salary was about 6% above market (just under $4,000 above the median in the TASB comparisons).
For non‑teacher groups, TASB found the district sits at or above market midpoints across central administration, campus administration, professionals, technology, auxiliary and support roles. Technology positions, a frequent area of private‑sector competition, were reported roughly 6% above market. TASB cautioned that pay adjustments and stipends should be monitored regularly rather than changed impulsively year‑to‑year.
Holly Stanbaugh, senior director for human resources compensation, reviewed legislative context and benefits projections. She noted TRS ActiveCare premiums were expected to rise and presented example employee premium changes for a hypothetical 10–15% increase to illustrate potential cost exposure to employees. Stanbaugh also showed comparative health‑care contribution data indicating the district would need roughly an additional $44 per employee per month to reach the top quartile among comparator districts and approximately $10 per employee per month to reach the market midpoint; those figures would vary with actual premium actions by TRS and other districts.
Staff emphasized this was an informational report with no immediate recommendations; they said TASB would partner with the district on any legislative implications and that district leaders would return with budget recommendations later in the spring as part of the regular budget process.
Ending: Trustees asked questions about specific stipends and recruitment challenges for secondary math and science positions; TASB and HR staff said those areas remain challenging to fill in many districts and would be monitored for potential targeted adjustments.
