San Marcos CISD approves raises for employees

The San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees approved a pay raise for all district employees during a special session Monday evening.

After hearing comments from the public, the board passed a budget option with a vote of four in favor and two opposed, which included a $2,133 pay raise for all administrators. Teachers, librarians, counselors and nurses with over six years of experience will receive the same $2,133 raise, while those with less than six years of experience will receive a raise of $1,562 per year. Trustees approved a $1 dollar an hour pay raise for para-professionals, clerical and manual trade positions, raising minimum wage for these employees to $13 an hour. 

Additionally, insurance for salaried employees will increase by $11, raising the annual cost of coverage per employee from $4,404 to $4,536.

Susan Seaton, President of San Marcos Educators, addressed the board and offered statistics from the National Low Income Housing Coalition in order to express support for the pay increase. 

“The average one bedroom rent in San Marcos is $910 and in order to sustain and have a living wage that lets you afford that, they determined that it takes $17.50 an hour in order to sustain a rent like that.” Seaton said. “... This board and this district has shown the foresight to help our employees and to keep moving towards a living wage.”

Trustee Miguel Arredondo cited annual data and said that the district’s fund balance has continued to grow even with substantial salary and benefit increases to employees. 

“The projected fund balance for June of 2015 was a little bit over $28,000,000,” Arredondo said. “The projected ending fund balance in June of 2016 was a little bit over $28,000,000; June of 2017 — $27,000,000; June of 2018 — $45,644,000. And if approved tonight with the dollar an hour increase, we'll be looking at a fund balance of $32,500,000.”

Arredondo expressed his support for the pay raise, and suggested the other trustees continue to invest in students and staff.

“We're not here to grow the district's savings account, which I think previous boards have a very good job of doing,” Arredondo said.  

John McGlothlin, President of the Board of Trustees, expressed his concerns over the $1 pay raise and instead opted to support a 50 cent an hour pay raise. 

“I would love, theoretically, to do the dollar,” McGlothlin said. “But faced with a deficit and a change in fund balance of $8 million, I just don't believe I can responsibly do that with the revenues we have.”

The district will operate at a deficit of approximately $8,363,941 during the 2019-2020 school year after approving the budget on Monday. 

In other business, the board voted unopposed to begin teachers with zero years of experience with a salary of $49,662. 

Likewise, trustees approved an easement that provides utility services through Miller Middle School additions. 

A special session slated for June 27 is now cancelled, and the board will meet next on the regular scheduled date of July 15.