Area teacher salaries New Richardson ISD teachers are paid less than new teachers in other districts in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, district o cials said.
Richardson ISD's financial outlook
Enrollment over the years
Number of teachers 2020-21
Starting teacher salaries
Richardson ISD saw a decrease in enrollment over the last two years, after seeing steadily increasing enrollment over the last decade. However, the number of teachers and full-time sta in the district has continued to rise despite a drop in daily attendance.
Richardson ISD
2,841
$55,000
Ratio of students to teachers
Percent of teachers of total sta
Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD
Enrollment and sta
1,696
$57,050
Enrollment
Teaching sta Total sta
Frisco ISD
15.3
51.74%
37,044
4,387
$56,500
2011-12
2,417
4,671
McKinney ISD
1,643
15.8
51.21%
$57,800
38,043
2012-13
2,404
4,694
Plano ISD
3,784
$56,000
15.3
51.94%
38,283
2013-14
2,496
4,806
Raises for educators
15.3
51.55%
38,618
2014-15
2,520
4,888
On top of a retention and new-hire stipend, the district is raising the starting salary for new teachers in the 2022-23 school year and increasing returning teacher salaries up to 5%.
15.0
51.5%
38,738
2015-16
2,575
5,000
15.2
52.07%
39,268
2016-17
New teacher salary 2022-23 to 2024-25
2,583
4,961
New teacher starting salary
14.8
50.39%
39,314
2017-18
2,651
5,082
$57,000
14.7
51.35%
39,108
2018-19
2,662
5,184
Returning teacher pay raise
14.4
50.65%
39,619
Years of experience 1-4 5-9 10-14 15+
Pay raise 4.25% 4.5% 4.75% 5%
2019-20
2,744
5,418
13.3
50.99%
37,787
2020-21
2,841
5,572
13.2
48.47%
37,638
2021-22*
2,848
5,876
* ESTIMATE AS OF JAN. 10 SOURCES: RICHARDSON ISD, CARROLLTON FARMERS BRANCH ISD, FRISCO ISD, MCKINNEY ISD, PLANO ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Branum said. “We have not been
schools had seen an increase in enroll- ment every year since 1987. Enrollment across the state con- tinued to remain below prepandemic levels during the 2021-22 school year, according to TEA reports. Branum said RISD has been in con- tact with neighboring school districts to work on possible solutions. “We are collaborating with districts that are facing these same kinds of challenges, whether it is enrollment, the cost of living, the teacher shortage and other topics,” she said. “These are conversations that I think the major- ity of districts are having now.” With the city of Richardson being 95% developed, a lack of new living space has contributed to the district’s slow growth in enrollment gures over the last decade, Pate said. O cials said during a Jan. 10 board of trustees meeting that the district is expected to see decreases in enroll- ment from the 2024-25 school year through 2031-32. Consultant Rocky Gardner from Zonda Demographics said during the same board meeting that the large price increases in single-fam- ily and multifamily housing in the
as aggressive at the campus level because we want to provide as much support as possible, so the cuts are coming at the central o ce.” Payroll costs account for more than 90% of RISD’s operating fund expen- ditures, though some district employ- ees are funded from other sources. Among employees funded through all sources, a majority of district posi- tions are nonteaching roles, with RISD employing 2,848 teachers and 3,028 other sta , per district o cials. Pate said RISD will continue to prioritize using Elementary and Sec- ondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funds to help combat learn- ing loss within the classroom. ESSER funds are federal grants designed to help overcome the adversities created by the pandemic. “Addressing that learning loss now should save us money in the long run,” Pate said. “Sta is very support- ive of making sure that we’re using the funding appropriately to address learning loss.” Retaining teachers
Richardson area are among the fac- tors causing fewer young families to reside in the district. Gardner showed that the average price of new homes in RISD increased by more than $216,000 from 2010-2021, while the average price of existing homes rose by more than $182,000 in that time. Cost of education Adding to RISD’s budgeting con- cerns is the growing cost of running a school district in 2022. Since scal year 2013-14, the dis- trict’s annual operating expenditures have increased by 41% to $377 million. While property tax revenue has simi- larly increased, the district’s revenue has exceeded its expenses by an aver- age of $15 million since the 2016-17 school year. O cials said RISD is looking to lower its operating expenses by removing un lled positions within central administration. This strategy would allow the district to reduce its payroll costs while keeping necessary teaching positions available. “Our priority for the 2022-23 bud- get has been to identify opportunities for reductions in the central o ce,”
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Branum estimated RISD lost out on nearly $19 million scal year 2021-22. “Student attendance has been hit pretty hard as a result of stu- dents missing many days,” Branum said. “With the way that the current funding formula works, without any additional students coming into the district and with a stagnant enroll- ment, our costs are going up.” The Texas Education Agency has implemented a hold harmless guar- antee that ensures school districts receive funding based on attendance projections made prior to the public health crisis. “Certainly, we’re grateful for the state’s hold harmless agreement that they have implemented over the past couple of years,” Chief Financial O - cer David Pate said. “However, that still does not replace the students that have actually left the district.” Drop in enrollment According to reports from the TEA, state enrollment decreased by 2.2% during the 2020-21 school year. Prior to last school year, Texas public
Another big cost the district is accounting for in its FY 2022-23 budget COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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