{"id":285239,"date":"2026-05-09T01:36:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T01:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285239\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T01:36:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T01:36:13","slug":"richardson-isd-officials-propose-8-3-million-in-teacher-staff-raises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285239\/","title":{"rendered":"Richardson ISD officials propose $8.3 million in teacher, staff raises"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichardson ISD officials proposed district-wide raises based on role and experience for 2026-27 at the May 7<\/a> board of trustees meeting.<\/p>\n

The board came to a consensus on a proposed raise that would cost the district roughly $8.3 million. The board is set to officially approve the new 2026-27 budget and the proposed raise in June.<\/p>\n

Breaking it down<\/p>\n

Despite RISD\u2019s budget shortfall<\/a> and $25.7 million in cuts<\/a> proposed in April, district officials have maintained that pay raises are a priority throughout the development process for the 2026-27 budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we have to continue to make significant reductions in our expenditure lines,\u201d Superintendent Tabitha Branum said. \u201cWe also know that we want to continue to build on the momentum that this board has made to address compensation, to address lowering our turnover rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed pay raise includes a percentage raise for central and campus professionals and paraprofessional and auxiliary staff, as well as a flat increase for \u201cteacher-types,\u201d who are teachers, librarians, counselors and nurses.<\/p>\n

Teacher-types with one to 10 years of experience would receive a $1,000 raise, while those with 11 or more years of experience would receive a $2,000 raise. Central and campus professionals would receive a 2% raise, while paraprofessional and auxiliary staff would receive a 3% raise.<\/p>\n

The starting salary for certified teachers would be $63,500, and uncertified teachers would start at $63,000.<\/p>\n

The proposal keeps RISD competitive with entry-level salaries while also preserving the district\u2019s substantially higher salaries for experienced teachers compared to neighboring peer districts, said Chris Goodson, assistant superintendent of human resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 15, 20 and 25 years [of experience], we would still be paying our experienced teachers more than our surrounding districts,\u201d Goodson said.<\/p>\n

A closer look<\/p>\n

This compensation model is set to cost the district roughly $8.3 million. The board considered a second compensation option that would increase teacher salaries by $1,500-$3,000 based on experience and would cost the district $10.8 million.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The] $2.5 million [difference] doesn\u2019t sound like a lot, but we can do a lot [with it],\u201d trustee Vanessa Pacheco said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of priorities, and as much as I\u2019d love to give and do all the things for our educators, for our staff and everybody else, we\u2019re in a tight spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodson also noted that health insurance rates continue to increase. RISD\u2019s employee health insurance contribution is not as high as some neighboring districts, but Branum said that the district does invest in additional benefits, like the staff health clinic<\/a>, that are available to all district staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose investments are also a form of payment,\u201d Pacheco said. \u201cIt\u2019s not an actual cash dollar, but it is an investment we\u2019re making on our Richardson community to support them and to make sure that they\u2019re taken care of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big picture<\/p>\n

RISD is facing flattening revenue and declining enrollment<\/a> at the same time that district budgets are becoming increasingly determined by student numbers<\/a>, said David Pate, assistant superintendent of finance and support services, at a past meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re having to make some pretty significant cuts. We know we\u2019re going to have to make more cuts,\u201d trustee Megan Timme said. \u201cWe [also] want to have the best teachers in the classroom [and] we want to be able to recruit the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

The district has consistently invested in compensation increases and benefits over the last several years, and has seen increased teacher retention<\/a>, particularly among experienced teachers, Goodson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are doing everything we can, but that is the reality we have been forced into,\u201d trustee Eric Eager said. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting two battles right now, where the amount of money that goes to the state goes up, but we\u2019re trying to help our teachers simply pay for insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with the efficiencies that the district found through the budget cuts, Pate said RISD is still facing a more than $21 million shortfall in next year\u2019s budget, which is expected to grow significantly over the next several years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot continue to operate in deficit spending,\u201d Eager said. \u201cGoing into next year, we\u2019re really going to have to have some tough decisions.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richardson ISD officials proposed district-wide raises based on role and experience for 2026-27 at the May 7 board…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285240,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2050,5521,43748,160,162,161,69054,5810,5809,8789,43089],"class_list":["post-285239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-budget","tag-compensation","tag-deficit","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-raises","tag-richardson-isd","tag-risd","tag-school-board","tag-teacher-pay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}