2% midpoint raises, veteran teacher adjustments approved

As school districts across the state face the challenges of the Texas school funding crisis, the Northwest ISD Board of Trustees have approved the district’s 2024-2025 compensation plan to improve teacher and staff salary and benefits. To best serve the teachers and staff of Northwest ISD, the school board approved the district recommendation to adopt a significant deficit budget in 2024-2025 to provide these raises.

At their regular April 22 meeting, trustees approved a compensation plan that includes a minimum 2% midpoint raise as well as additional compensation improvements. The compensation plan takes feedback from recent staff listening sessions – conducted at all 34 district schools – to better value veteran teachers and improve pay transparency. 

The plan focuses on overall compensation improvements as well as implementing an easy-to-understand teacher pay scale. With approval of the compensation plan, Northwest ISD will now set all teachers with the same years of service at the same base pay rate. Highlights of the proposal include:

• Teacher & Staff Raises: All staff will receive a 2% midpoint raise, with some teachers at higher years of service receiving more for equity adjustments. This means the salary increase for the 2024-2025 school year will increase by a percentage of the midpoint of an employee’s pay range, regardless of where they currently fall on the pay range. 
• Veteran Teacher Pay Scale: Many veteran teachers will see salary adjustments to increase overall compensation for total years of service. Northwest ISD’s goal is to remain near the top of teacher pay across the region for both new and veteran teachers. Many veteran teachers will see salary increases beyond the 2% midpoint raise to provide equity in the updated veteran teacher pay scale, and no teacher will receive less than the midpoint raise. A chart showing the number of staff members at various percentage raises because of equity adjustments can be seen at the bottom of this post.
• Teacher Pay Scale Transparency: By moving all teachers – those new to Northwest ISD as well as those already working for the district – to the same salary levels, every teacher with the same years of service will receive the same base salary. This change, which does not include stipends, will improve overall pay transparency. Going forward, this means when the district provides a midpoint raise, a chart will be presented that will show every teacher their base pay by years of service before stipends are added. To see the 2024-2025 New Hire Salary Schedule for Teachers, which will now also constitute the base teacher pay plan, view this page.
• Longevity Stipend: As part of teacher pay scale transparency, veteran staff who have worked for Northwest ISD for more than 5 years will receive a longevity stipend. This stipend will show longtime Northwest ISD teachers the additional monetary compensation they are receiving above their base pay for their continued service to Northwest ISD students. To see the longevity stipend levels, view the bottom of this page.

To meet growth needs and provide these compensation improvements, Northwest ISD expects to adopt a deficit budget exceeding $14 million for the 2024-2025 school year. This represents a significant hurdle for future years if state leaders do not address the Texas school funding crisis. If Northwest ISD does not receive additional revenue in 2025, it will join school districts across the region and state in considering options such as hiring freezes, increased class size ratios, staffing attrition, programming reductions and more in the 2025-2026 school year.

Please be aware teachers will receive a salary letter in the future that breaks down their base pay and stipends.