As North Texas independent school districts finalize their budgets, employee pay raises are on the table.
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Two Tarrant County school districts announced raises for all employees next school year.
On Thursday, the Keller ISD and Arlington ISD boards approved budgets for the upcoming 2025-26 school year. Both fiscal plans include raises for teachers and other district employees.
Keller ISD, still recovering from a proposed split, passed its $348.3 million budget. Included in that budget is a $2,500 raise for teachers with three or four years of experience, a $5,000 raise for teachers with five or more years of experience and a 3% raise for all other teachers and district employees.
The Arlington ISD Board of Trustees approved its final budget, including a $24.6 million contribution to increase employee pay. According to the district, teachers will get a raise in the ballpark of 3% to 7.5% based on experience. Teachers with three or four years of experience will get a $2,500 raise, and teachers with five or more years on the job will get a $5,000 raise. All other AISD employees will get a 3% raise, marking the sixth year in a row the district has increased employee pay by 3% or more.
On top of the raises, AISD is also offering free pre-K for all employees’ children.
First-year teachers also get in on the incentives with a revised starting salary of $66,100, which increases to $67,500 for those with a master’s degree.