Conroe ISD trustees unveiled a proposed 2025-26 budget featuring significant raises for teachers and staff, fueled by Texas’s new teacher retention allotment.
On June 24, during a budget presentation, Conroe ISD board members reviewed a proposed compensation plan for 2025-26, which includes 6% raises for teachers and most staff, as well as 4% raises for district police and administrative personnel.
The recent proposal follows Gov. Greg Abbott's signing of House Bill 2 on June 4, which establishes a $3.7 billion allotment aimed at retaining teachers by providing permanent salary increases for experienced educators. CISD Chief Financial Officer Karen Garza stated that the district's portion of the funding — $19.6 million for teachers and $2.7 million for support staff — constituted the foundation of the recommendation.
The proposal allocates $20.5 million to increase the teacher pay scale by 6%, along with $6.2 million aimed at elevating salaries for administrative support, instructional support, and auxiliary staff by the same percentage. In the latest developments, district police are set to receive a 4% increase, bringing the total to $300,000. Additionally, administrative, business, education, and technology staff will also benefit from 4% raises, totaling $6.1 million.
Garza highlighted an updated compensation framework for technology staff to keep CISD attractive in a vital recruitment landscape. “Our goal was to ensure that we focus on their needs … and we have implemented a new compensation framework for our tech staff to remain competitive,” she stated.
CISD board president Misty Oldenweller emphasized the importance of retaining seasoned teachers: “I don’t want to lose those veteran teachers,” she remarked, underscoring the need to encourage educators to stay in their roles.
The district's finance department is set to finalize revenue projections in preparation for the final budget presentation, which is scheduled for approval on August 19. A public budget hearing will take place on August 5.
