The Lockhart Independent School District Board of Trustees passed the 2022-2023 employee compensation and staffing plans at the board meeting Monday evening.
Teachers will receive up to 8 percent in pay raises with an emphasis on rewarding veteran teachers for experience and years of service. With the significant shift, Lockhart ISD becomes one of the highest-paying districts in Central Texas for veteran teachers among any school district.
Clerical paraprofessional staff will receive up to a 37 percent increase. Auxiliary staff will receive up to a 28 percent increase in pay. Administrative professional staff will receive an increase of 3 percent of the midpoint of the new pay scale recommended by the Texas Association of School Boards.
In addition to increased pay, Lockhart ISD will provide a compensation package that includes self-funded health insurance, moving away from the Texas Retirement System’s health insurance plans to its own service called Lion Care. The movement to this model results in savings of $21 – $1,559 per month, depending on an employee’s current TRS Active Care health insurance plan. Those employees who already moved away from the TRS Active Care plan to the Texas School Health Benefits Program will save between $24 – $213 per month. The employee-only plan remains free. The district anticipates additional savings with lower deductibles, prescription costs, and other out-of-pocket costs for its staff.
“The goal of the school district in this budget was to focus on having a LockHeart for People in caring for its staff,” said Chief Financial Officer Nicole Dean. “We are very proud to offer a plan that increases pay at historic levels while also saving our staff money with reduced monthly costs on health insurance.”
