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College Station schools' budget for the coming year will include at least a 4 percent increase in salaries for all employees, officials decided.
School trustees approved the increases, which include updated pay scales based on years of experience, at their regular meeting Tuesday.
Board President Charlotte Slack said the move was a positive sign for the district.
"We'll never pay our teachers and staff what they're worth, but we are making a significant step in recognizing what our employees mean to us," she said.
The increases are part of a $76.9 million estimated budget for the College Station school district for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The 2007-08 budget was about $70.8 million.
Trustees also renewed Superintended Eddie Coulson's contract for another year with a 4 percent pay raise, boosting his salary to $171,600.
Salaries typically make up 75 to 80 percent of the operating budget, according to Mike Ball, deputy superintendent for business and operations.
Because of adjustments to the salary schedules for teachers, Ball said, some could receive an increase of as much as 8.15 percent, depending on their years of experience.
The approved increases are the highest in several years, Ball said. Trustees increased employee salaries by 3 percent across the board between 2006-07 and 2007-08.
The adjustment makes salary tier increases fairer for teachers with more experience, officials said.
The change also includes increasing the salary scale and setting an established rate for teachers who come to the district with 20 to 25 years of experience.
Trustees agreed to increase the annual stipend for teachers who have master's degrees from $1,500 to $2,000.
College Station Education Association President Mary Howell, who asked for raises for teachers and higher wages for staff members at a meeting in March, expressed enthusiasm at the news.
"I am just ecstatic for what you have put together for adjusting the salary schedules ... and the stipends," she told the board. "And I am really looking forward to next year to see what we can do about living wage."
Howell said outside the meeting that the increases her group suggested probably were not feasible in a single year. But she said she hoped the board would consider increasing the pay for all staff members to what is considered a living wage in the Brazos Valley.
Next year, the amount of money the district receives from the state, which is based on students' average daily attendance, will increase.
Ball said officials expect enrollment to increase by 3.4 to 3.5 percent in the upcoming school year.
The proposed budget, which will not be officially approved until August, predicts a $261,551 deficit. But Ball said it would be covered by the district's fund balance, which is about $32.7 million.
Historically, he said, the district has come out better financially than predicted.
"And we hope to do the same next year," he said.
Detailed changes to the teachers' pay scale based on experience are available on the district's Web site as an attachment to Tuesday's board agenda at www.csisd.org.
• Janet Phelps' e-mail address is janet.phelps@theeagle.com.
