Cedar Hill School District approves bigger salaries for teachers

by Loyd Brumfield of Cedar Hill TODAY

Teachers just starting out will be paid $43,000 under a compensation package unanimously approved by the Cedar Hill School District Board of Trustees at a called meeting June 28.

Starting teachers with a master’s degree will earn $44,000 and those with doctorates will receive $45,000 under the package.

“This puts us in the company of other districts in Plano, Richardson and Irving,” said Chief Financial Officer Mike McSwain. “We’re already competitive in that area, and we hope to improve our pay in the middle-experience range.”

Pay will range from $43,000 for first-year teachers to $59,000 for teachers with more than 30 years’ experience with a doctorate.

Trustees Valerie Banks and Dr. Mike Marshall were not at the meeting, which was held after a public hearing on the district’s proposed budget and tax rate.

The proposed $54 million budget includes bonuses for teachers and raises for child nutrition workers under a proposed tax rate of $1.40 per every $100 of assessed property valuation, a decrease from last year’s $1.74 rate.

Under newly passed state law, school districts cannot assess a tax rate of more than $1.40 without requiring voter approval.

The district’s proposed budget carries a fund balance of about $13 million.

The budget calls for an additional $500,000 in spending per pupil, “but that isn’t a lot when you are talking about a $54 million budget,” McSwain said.

McSwain also advised trustees that the district will be classified as property wealthy in as soon as a year or no more than two, which would trigger state requirements that would mandate that the district send a certain percentage of its tax revenues to Austin to share with the rest of the state.

One person, former school board member James Charles, spoke at the meeting and expressed concern about several aspects of the budget and of the prospect of becoming a property-wealthy district.

“Instead of receiving money, we’re going to be giving it away, so where are we going to make up that money from? Are taxes going to have to be raised, and by how much?” Charles asked.

Even so, McSwain said, the district’s tax rate would probably remain the same or even be lowered.

“What’s the point of raising taxes if you’re going to have to send that money to Austin or somewhere else in the state?” McSwain replied.

Superintendent Horace Williams said the district is working on setting up a timeline to deal with the upgrade in property status before it happens.

“We will have a plan in place before it gets here,” he said. “We are aware of it and are in the planning stages on what we can do to recapture some of that funding.”

Charles also questioned if the district will be able to properly fund its share of the new Shared Government Center scheduled to open next year. The building will house city offices, school administration and the police department.

“Everything in the district has increased (in spending) except the education side of it,” Charles said. “I understand teachers will get a raise and perhaps bonuses, but where is this benefit going to come from?”

Williams said the budget provides about $147,000 for teacher raises and bonuses and said the district and the city is in good shape in regard to construction costs and doesn’t anticipate any additional costs.

Board President Dan Hernandez, in announcing the public hearing, said members of the public would be given five minutes to speak, which drew a complaint from Charles.

“I don’t like this limited time frame to speak,” he said. “This is a public hearing, and we ought to have as much time as we need to get an answer. This isn’t like the citizens’ forum at a regular meeting.”

Charles then spoke for about 25 minutes and shared polite exchanges with McSwain and Williams.

When Charles was finished, Hernandez pointed out that he had been given additional time to speak, and Charles thanked him.