Raymondville schools consider teacher pay raise

RAYMONDVILLE — For years, many teachers have left the school district for higher-paying jobs.

For the second year in a row, officials are planning raises to help keep experienced teachers on staff.

Last night, school board members held a budget workshop to review the district’s plan to raise salaries.

Superintendent Johnny Pineda has proposed average raises of about $1,000 for the district’s 146 teachers.

Meanwhile, Pineda recommended auxiliary staff, made up of 71 employees including teachers aides and maintenance and transportation workers, receive average raises of about 2 percent.

The proposed salary package would come out to $383,339.

Officials plan to dip into next year’s general fund budget and federal allocation to fund the package.

The school board has not proposed next year’s budget. But the current general fund budget stands at $19.3 million.

Pineda said his recommendations are based on a three-year plan aimed at bringing teacher salaries closer to state averages.

This year, he said, marks the plan’s second year.

Pineda said the district worked with the Texas Association of School Boards to develop the program.

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.