Killeen ISD Approves Largest Raise For Teachers In 9 Years

It's been a long time coming, and the superintendent of KISD called it the “most aggressive” compensation package in district history. Killeen, Texas school board members have passed a compensation package which gives a 6% pay raise to all employees, and an 8% pay raise to teachers. The district's school board voted 7-0 in favor of the increase, the largest one in nine years for KISD employees.

Base Salary for Beginning Teachers

KWTX is reporting that with this increase, the starting salary for a beginning teacher will be $56,160. The district also approved raising the amount of longevity stipends, tying money to tenure.

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District officials said the district’s budget will provide money for the raises, with over $17 million coming from unspent teacher salaries.

Teacher Shortage in Texas

Killeen ISD Superintendent Dr. John Craft says the district is currently 300 classroom teachers short.

Part of the push for raises is to try and get teachers to stay in their positions, an issue schools around the state are facing. From 2010 to 2019, the number of teachers certified in Texas fell by about 20%, according to a report from the University of Houston.

In the last two years, a record number of teachers have left Texas classrooms.  Newsweek reports that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 600,000 teachers in public schools quit their jobs between January 2020 and March of 2022.

When do Higher Salaries Start at KISD?

The raises will go into effect during contact renewals in July and August. However, Superintendent Craft says incentives like moving stipends will start being pushed out immediately.