The raise will be the third significant pay increase for district staff since the Nov. 2021 passage of the Voter Approved Tax Ratification (Golden Penny Election) and represents an aggregate increase of 11 percent over the last three years.
The increase will be based on the midpoint of each HPISD pay grade and is considered the first-round salary increase that staff can expect for next school year. An additional increase is expected to be recommended during the 2023-24 budget adoption process in June.
“We are always looking for ways to increase salary to attract and retain the best-qualified candidates for HPISD,” said Trustee Jae Ellis. “This announcement is only the first step toward demonstrating our commitment to increasing staff compensation for the 2023-24 school year.”
During the budget update report, trustees also announced the district will increase individual staff salaries by $600 annually by reallocating HPISD’s dental insurance contribution. This move gives staff the flexibility to elect dental coverage or to add the dental benefits contribution dollars back into their salary. The 3 percent salary boost combined with the $600 increase will result in an additional $2,412 minimum increase in base salary for the teacher pay grade, bringing the starting salary for a teacher with zero years of experience to $58,200 annually. The new pay figures further align HPISD teacher salaries more closely to the competitive averages found in the North Texas market.
Master’s Degree stipends will also be increased from $2,500 to $3,000 annually to align with the National Board Certification compensation allotted by the state. An HPISD teacher with zero years of experience and a master’s degree will earn an annual salary of $61,200 next school year. All current HPISD teachers with a master’s degree will also receive the increased $3,000 stipend.
“We want to make it known that HPISD continues to prioritize teacher compensation,” said Ellis. “And we want to do that well before the summer to help with recruitment this spring and to help HPISD retain current staff for next year. During the coming weeks, we will continue to monitor various budget factors like legislative outcomes and enrollment numbers to determine an additional increase in salary above the first 3 percent raise.”