CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Despite a $20 million budget shortfall, the Corpus Christi Independent School District school board approved a $346.5 million budget during Wednesday's meeting.
The budget includes employee raises that are based on years of district service. Teachers, registered nurses and librarians do not qualify for these raises because their salaries are determined by a different pay schedule.
Corpus Christi Independent School District officials are hoping to be able to afford the salary increases with help from the Texas legislature.
“We remain optimistic our legislature will agree our employees deserve the higher wages that would be possible with an increased basic allotment,” superintendent Roland Hernandez said in a news release.
In that same statement, the district said state officials previously had promised it, and other districts, increases to their basic operating budgets and hoped to see that come come to fruition, but praised the school board in the meantime.
“We are fortunate to have a Board of Trustees that prioritizes employee pay and encourages us to review today’s tight budgets and find ways to help increase salaries,” Hernandez stated.
Employees with 1-5 years with the district will be eligible for a 1 percent raise that would be calculated according to the salary at the midpoint of that range.
Employees with 6-12 years with the district will be eligible for 2 percent raises, and those with 13 or more years are eligible for 3 percent raises.
The budget and raises will go into effect for the 2024-25 school year, which begins Aug. 12.
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