Budget workshop: HB2 brings state funding increases and prompts teacher pay changes

At the June 3 special meeting, Santa Rosa ISD administrators told the board that state legislative action in HB2 would provide roughly $8.5 billion for public schools statewide and allocate per-student increases the district could use for base allotments, salary increases and operating costs.

The presentation lists a roughly $55 per-student increase to the base allotment, a $45 per-student allocation to boost salaries for counselors, librarians, nurses and other support staff, and about $106 per student for transportation, insurance, utilities and hiring retired educators. The slides also note an expansion of the Teacher Incentive Allotment and additional funding for safety upgrades; the packet says the bill had been sent to the governor's desk.

District leaders modeled teacher pay changes under the legislative guidance and district plans: the materials show teachers with three to four years of experience in small districts receiving a $4,000 raise and teachers with five or more years receiving an $8,000 raise under one scenario. The workshop presenters identified those allocations as possible sources to offset local budget pressures and to target retention and recruitment in the coming year.