Boerne ISD weighs pay options: stipends for special education, TRS ActiveCare cost pressures and the long road to teacher‑incentive payouts

Boerne ISD trustees spent the bulk of their March 3 budget workshop examining staffing and compensation scenarios as staff laid out recent raises, proposed stipends, benefit-cost pressures and the implications of state programs such as the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).

Staff reported current staffing counts (about 753 teachers, nurses and librarians; roughly 80 professional staff; and about 246 auxiliary employees) and summarized compensation moves already taken this school year: an initial group percentage increase in September by employee group; a $3/hour premium for bus drivers and mechanics in September; a $7,000 "highly specialized" stipend for certain roles; a transportation retention incentive in October; and a $1.25/hour increase for auxiliary/paraprofessional employees in January. The staff presenter said the $1.25 increase was incorporated into the district pay scales across minimum, midpoint and maximum levels.

On benefits, staff said approximately 67.5% of employees participate in TRS ActiveCare and that premiums increased more than 13% in the most recent cycle; staff projected possible further increases of at least 10% and, if state funding does not materialize, potentially as much as 20%, which would reduce the net value of any salary increase for employees. Trustees discussed the trade-offs between salary increases and higher district contributions to benefits; one trustee noted that salary increases (not benefits) count toward retirement calculations.

To address recruitment and retention in special education, staff proposed differential stipends: $1,000 for homebound teachers; $3,000 for art facilitators and inclusion/resource teachers; and $4,000 for self‑contained teachers (life‑skills/dual‑certified roles). Staff said those roles are hardest to fill and noted approximately 47 teachers hold special‑education certifications but are not currently assigned to special education.

Staff reviewed the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) process: a district must create a state‑approved local designation system using teacher evaluations and student‑growth measures (other district metrics may be added); a nonbinding letter of intent to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is due by April 15 if the district wants to start the process this year; implementation is multi-year (staff estimated about four years from interest application to first payouts) and requires ongoing stakeholder engagement and administrative staffing. Staff cautioned that only a limited percentage of teachers can be designated annually under TIA rules and that designations are portable and valid for five years.

Trustees asked for modeling that combines potential state funding (e.g., the governor’s proposed $4,000 teacher increase) with local scenarios for supplemental raises, stipend costs and benefit contributions. Staff committed to run those scenarios and return with costed options at upcoming workshops.

Action and next steps: staff will prepare compensation scenarios reflecting potential state and local funding permutations and provide clarifying data on retiree‑rehire counts, TRS ActiveCare participation, and the cost of proposed special‑education stipends. The board adjourned at 7:08 p.m.