Education
BY SARAH BRAGER
Cy-Fair ISD employees will receive a 4% pay raise in the 2025-26 scal year following a vote of approval from the board of trustees on June 23. The board adopted its $1.2 billion budget after months of community feedback and planning from the district nance department. The nal motion included an amendment that allows the superintendent to retroactively change sta salaries to meet recommended market adjustments. Trustees said they prioritized salary increases, reinstating bus routes and working toward a balanced budget. With $1.1 billion in revenue, district ocials said they expect a shortfall of $45.5 million. They said the shortfall would have been higher if not for $62 million in additional funding from House Bill 2. Last year, the CFISD board approved budget cuts, eliminating more than half of district librarian positions and cutting 79 bus routes. Parents have since come forward with concerns about student safety, especially pertaining to school commutes, according to past Community Impact reporting. At the June 18 work session, trustees said there will not be more reductions this year, thanks to recent state support. The proposed budget for the upcoming academic year is about $40 million larger than last year, when the projected shortfall was $77.5 million. Chief Financial Ocer Karen Smith said June 18 that she expects the actual decit for FY 2024-25 to be around $24.3 million. Raises, bus service in FY 2025 26 budget
Public input
2025 26 compensation plans $2,500 raise for teachers with three to four years of experience $5,000 raise for teachers with ve or more years of experience $65,000 starting salary for teachers $2 million to increase salaries for teachers with one to two years of experience $15 per hour starting pay for hourly and paraprofessional employees 4% raise for all other employees
After a year of pushing the board to bring back bus routes, noting safety concerns for students and time constraints for parents, community members were relieved to see bus routes rein- stated for a total of $4.1 million. “Passing this budget puts CFISD back on the path to amazing by ensuring every student has a safe and reliable way to get to school,” said Jarred Hostetler, a parent who previously advocated for bus routes to be reinstated. Over a dozen attendees at the meeting made last-minute pleas for higher wages, saying the 4% pay raise still isn’t a living wage for paraprofes- sionals, who make less than $30,000 annually. “We’re not asking for $60,000 a year, we’re ask- ing for [$35,000],” said Stacey Peterson, a special needs paraprofessional in the district, at the June 18 board work session. “If my husband dies, I can’t keep my house on $20,000 per year. It’s not just below pay, it is nonlivable.”
SOURCE: CYFAIR ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Anissa Bax, a full-time paraprofessional in the district, told the board she was evicted from her apartment because she couldn’t aord rent. After moving in with her parents, Bax said she commuted about an hour from Richmond to continue working in Cy-Fair because she loves working with her students. Despite the comments, the board did not add any additional pay specically for paraprofession- als in the nal budget.
What they're saying
“Though we’re breathing a little easier, it is temporary. We still have a budget gap that will need to be addressed.” JUSTIN RAY, CYFAIR ISD TRUSTEE
“No full-time Cy-Fair ISD employee should be living on poverty wages.” NIKKI COWART, PRESIDENT OF CYFAIR AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Looking forward
Budget breakdown
• $29.7 million for teacher retention for teachers with three or more years of experience • $4.3 million to support non-administrative staff • $106 per enrolled student for a total of $12.6 million • $1.13 per mile transportation reimbursement for a total of $107,800
CFISD ocials said additional funding from the state alleviated some of their budget concerns this year, but HB 2 didn’t entirely solve the district’s funding issues. The district will need to source additional revenue or consider more cuts in the future. Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 2 into law on June 4, which included allotments for teacher raises and retention, special education programs, campus safety and operational costs. HB 2 highlights for CFISD include:
Projected expenses
$1.23B
Projected revenue
$1.18B
Projected shortfall: $45.47M
SOURCE: CYFAIR ISDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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