The Courier of Montgomery County reports that following approval for a compensation to boost salaries across the board, Conroe ISD raised its payroll budget by $33 million for the upcoming school year.
The raise in pay follows the 89th Texas Legislature allocating over $4 billion for school employee pay increases.
The preliminary budget for 2026, according to Conroe ISD Chief Financial Officer Karen Garza, is $761.05 million, which is up from the district’s present budget of $711.97 million. Per $100 valuation, the tax rate of 94.96 is expected to remain unchanged.
In August, the board is expected to adopt the new budget.
Breaking it down with information from the district, teachers with one to two years of experience will get an increase of $2,100, and teachers with three to four years of experience will see a $2,500 dollar raise. With five or more years of experience, teachers will get a $5,000 increase. An additional $300 will go to veteran teachers with five to nine years of experience. An extra $500 will be available for teachers with 10 or more years experience.
Teachers just starting out will receive $63,500 in pay.
The non-teaching staff will receive pay increases. The administrative staff will get a 3.5% increase, police and technology 4%, and 6% for auxiliary administrative and instructional support staff.
There is a $5 daily rate raise for substitutes and $10 for paraprofessionals.
The legislature also allocated funding for other areas, along with funding for raises, which includes school safety and special education. Garza said during a board meeting last month that funding is critical for the upcoming year.
Garza said, regarding a $4 million deficit the district had earlier this year, “This has, by far, gotten us out of a hole.”
