BCISD teacher salaries below state level

October 15, 2012, 11:00 pm by Brenda Young

School board members, seated from left, Mary Ann Jones, president Andy Feild, Jeff Hullum, Jim Luther, Jr., Robby Robertson and Martin Riley wait for instructions from students and faculty in an exercise during the Burnet school board meeting Monday night at the Bertram Elementary cafeteria. (PHOTO BY BRENDA YOUNG)

Trustees for the Burnet Independent School District (BCISD) heard a series of reports from district officials and independent contractors this evening during a regular school board meeting at Bertram Elementary School. On the heels of a report highlighting the district’s first compensation review, board members learned the district’s starting salary for new teachers is below the state average.

Most first-year teachers in Texas earn a beginning wage of $40,975; however, BCISD offers a salary of slightly more than $34,000 for their rookie educators.

"You are paying well below the median of salary ranges in the teacher market. Our recommendation is to increase starting salaries to a minimum of $38,500,” Ann Patton said. She serves as a compensation consultant in the HR Services department for the Texas Association of School Boards. "We would also recommend you consider paying a $1,000 stipend only to teachers who have a master’s degree in their teaching field.”

Many reports were provided to school officials throughout the meeting; however, it was the resignation of long-time district employee Preston Ingram that provided a cap to the end of the evening. Ingram serves as the school system’s business manager and is a 17-year veteran of BCISD.

He recently came under scrutiny when it was discovered he provided trustees with incorrect revenue projections that might have had an impact on the board’s earlier budget decisions.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Burnet Bulletin.