COMPILED BY CARSON GANONG
Pflugerville ISD board of trustees will meet May 18 at 7 p.m. 1401 W. Pecan St., Pflugerville 512-594-0000 www.pfisd.net Hutto ISD board of trustees will meet May 11 and 25 at 6 p.m. 200 College St., Hutto 512-759-3771 www.hipponation.org MEETINGS WE COVER Lighthouse Certification in February, a designation from FranklinCovey and the Leader in Me program that recognizes schools with outstanding life skills and leadership programs. It is the first Hutto ISD campus to receive the designation. HIGHLIGHTS PFLUGERVILLE ISD On April 20, trustees approved a change to the academic calendar for the 2023- 24 school year shifting spring break to March 11-15 to align with Austin Community College and neighboring school districts. Spring break was previously scheduled for March 18-22, aligning with the University of Texas at Austin. HUTTO ISD Howard Norman Elementary School received
State incentive allotment to bring more teacher pay PFLUGERVILLE ISD The dis- trict announced in March that it has received a Teacher Incentive Allotment designation through the Texas Education Agency. The designation will provide the district with about $1.2 million in additional yearly funding for pay stipends for high-performing teachers. District staff said the program will grant yearly stipends of up to $21,000 to 88 qualifying teachers over a five-year period. The TIA program was estab- lished through the passing of House Bill 3 in 2019 and has since allocated $138.7 million to districts across Texas. District staff said Pflugerville ISD teachers selected for the program will be notified begin- ning in late May.
Hutto ISD adds 41 teaching positions for coming year HUTTO ISD To meet staffing needs for the 2023-24 school year, Hutto ISD will add 41 new teaching positions at schools across the district. Trustees approved creating the new positions at an April 13 meeting. The new positions include 15 elementary teachers; six middle school teachers; 10 high school teachers; and 10 special education teachers, one of which is a part-time position. In total, the new positions will add a projected $2.43 million in payroll expenses to the district’s budget for next school year. Trustees said one challenge the district must contend with as it grows is finding space for the new teachers and their students. Until new campuses, such as Gus Almquist Middle School, come online, trustees said the district will likely have to lean on portable classrooms to
NEW POSITIONS The 41 positions added for 2023-24 will cost Hutto ISD a projected $2.43 million in salary costs.
$900,000 15 elementary teachers $600,000 10 high school teachers $360,000 6 middle school teachers $570,000 10 special education teachers (1 part time)
SOURCE: HUTTO ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
find that space. “I think the community needs to hear that this is because of growth, and we do not control growth,” Trustee Shannon Jacobs said. “Not every one of these positions needs a classroom per se, but it’s a good 20 classrooms.” Superintendent Celina Estrada Thomas said the district has already purchased seven portable classrooms in preparation.
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PFLUGERVILLE - HUTTO EDITION • MAY 2023
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