Williamson County budget committee hears plea to fund 4% teacher pay raise as schools face $17.8M gap

Beverly Pervvis, president of the Williamson County Education Association, urged the county's budget committee on April 28 to "fully fund the district's 4% budget increase," saying the raise is "not a bonus" but an adjustment needed to keep pace with inflation and retain teachers.

School finance staff told the committee the district's projected gap has narrowed from an earlier $22 million estimate to about $17.88 million after updated property-tax assessments and a stronger-than-expected sales-tax month. Rachel (presenting for the district) said the improvement "moves us in the right direction," but cautioned the gains may not repeat and that sales-tax receipts are reported about two months in arrears.

Why it matters: the district needs an adequate unassigned fund balance (the schools cite a required 3% threshold for state approval) and faces several recurring and volatile cost drivers. Staff estimated the district's proposed 4% pay plan would add roughly $12.6 million in recurring payroll costs beyond existing experience/step increases (about $4.1 million already in the base). District presenters emphasized the 4% figure was calculated as a target across job cells and that experience-step increases remain a separate budget line.

Revenue and timing issues: staff said recent sales-tax strength added roughly $800,000 in one month but warned consumer spending and gas-price shifts can reduce collections. The district also noted it carries large amounts of award-based grant funding that can appear as "unspent grant funds" in audited statements when projects are budgeted but not yet contracted or completed.

Budget levers discussed: committee members and school staff explored several options and cautioned about trade-offs. Suggestions included phasing a pay increase (for example, 2% on July 1 and 2% in January) to lower near-term outlays; changing the property-tax yield assumption on paper (a move that creates short-term paper revenue but reduces long-term fund balance); and pursuing shared-service models with county government or neighboring districts. Staff warned that shifting or phasing the raise still increases the recurring base and could exhaust fund balance if revenues do not improve.

Staff also identified specific one-time or restricted sources that could reduce the gap if approved: a resolution to move $686,000 in special-education growth-bus costs to the educational impact-fee fund (previously approved by the school board) and potential county actions such as forgiving or loaning previously waived ESCO (energy-savings) payments (approximately $1.1 million annually in prior years). County officials said they would check legal and accounting constraints, including whether prior waivers could be applied retroactively.

What was not decided: the committee did not adopt a plan to fund the 4% increase. Presenters said the school board would still need to take a formal vote on any allocation method if the county funds were provided. Members agreed to return with more information and to consider the items again at upcoming meetings.

The next procedural step: staff asked committee members to submit questions in advance of the May meetings; the committee scheduled its next session for Monday, May 4, at 4:30 p.m. for resolutions and possible second readings.

Sources: statements and budget slides presented by district staff (Rachel, Vicky Robbins) and public comment by Beverly Pervvis during the April 28 Williamson County Budget Committee meeting.