(FORT BEND ISD) – At its Monday night Agenda Review Meeting, the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees approved a resolution authorizing a one-time retention and recruitment supplemental payment to staff members; and trustees approved the appointments of a new Chief Communications Officer and a new Chief Operations Officer.
The supplements will provide staff members on the teacher pay scale with a $1,500 one-time payment. Full time non-teaching staff will receive $1,000 and part time staff such as crossing guards will receive $500.
The payments will be included in the Sept. 15 paycheck for those employed by the district as of June 5, 2023.
The district is also offering newly hired employees a recruitment supplement of $1,500 to be paid to new employees on the teacher pay scale; $1,000 for full time non-teaching staff, and $500 for part time employees. An existing staff member is not eligible for a recruitment payment.
Those eligible for the recruitment supplement will receive the payment on Nov. 30.
Later this month at the June 26 meeting, the board is scheduled to vote on the 2023-24 budget, which will include a $500 step increase for existing teachers. The $1,500 retention supplement plus the $500 step will bring the payment for teachers to $2,000.
The supplements amount to $15 million. Although the state has not increased the basic per student allotment, the legislature did make changes to the state funding formula that resulted in an additional $18 million for Fort Bend ISD. Some of those funds, plus district budget reductions totaling $40 million over the last two years, have freed up ESSER funds to pay for the retention and recruitment supplements.
The lump sum payments are subject to all legal deductions and are not considered Teacher Retirement System pension plan eligible.
Monday evening the board also voted to appoint Kimberly Smith to fill the Chief Communications Officer vacancy. Smith is presently the Communications Director in Alief ISD.
Trustees also appointed Damian Viltz to fill the Chief Operations Officer vacancy. Viltz is presently Fort Bend ISD’s Executive Director of Facilities.
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