Manor ISD approves retention stipends as superintendent outlines broad safety review and upgrades

Manor Independent School District trustees on Dec. 16 approved one-time retention stipends for safety staff and heard a broad safety-and-security update from the superintendent that outlined next steps after a recent school incident, including a multi-agency after-action review, an external safety audit, and proposed capital upgrades.

In a 6-0 vote, the board approved the stipends as presented by administration: sworn peace officers who remain through the last instructional day will receive a $1,000 retention payment; campus safety staff and hall monitors who remain through the last instructional day will receive $500. The motion to approve the stipends was moved by Trustee Caitlin Lowery and seconded by Trustee Rodriguez Barnett. The board deliberated but did not amend the amounts; a later proposal to increase the stipends failed to receive a second and the original amounts were adopted.

Why it matters: Trustees and the superintendent said survey results and community input point to officers, cameras and hall monitors as measures families and staff say make them feel safer. The board authorized the stipends immediately as a recruitment and retention measure while administration continues to develop longer-term proposals for cameras, entry systems and cultural interventions.

Superintendent's…