San Angelo Voters Approve $6M for Teacher Pay, Campus Security

SAN ANGELO, TX - San Angelo ISD voters passed the proposed 2024 Proposition A by about 58 percent, approving the $6 million package to address teacher and staff pay and armed officers at every campus, according to San Angelo ISD. 

Information from the school district states that Proposition A provides new funding in the current fiscal year—and is expected to provide at least as much each year thereafter—to help recruit and retain high-quality staff and fund an armed officer at every campus. 

The November 2024 election brought more than 45,000 San Angelo voters to the polls. 

“We are so thankful and appreciative of our San Angelo ISD community,” said Superintendent Dr. Chris Moran. “The additional funding for all our teachers and staff allows us to recruit and retain high-quality instructors, as well as provide the necessary armed officers at every campus to protect our staff and students.” 

In October, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved an adjusted 2024-2025 Compensation Plan, contingent on the passage of Proposition A. Key components of this plan include:

• Increasing the minimum starting teacher pay to $50,000
• A $2,500 pay increase for each employee in the Teacher Job Family
• A market adjustment for all other job families
• All employees not in the Teacher Job Family receive the result of the market adjustment or 4% of the pay grade midpoint (whichever is greater)

According to the school district, San Angelo ISD competes with neighboring districts for teachers and staff. Currently, starting teacher salaries in San Angelo ISD are $4,500 lower than the average of other local districts in the West Texas area. San Angelo ISD is the third largest employer in Tom Green County, and Prop A will increase the salaries of approximately 1,824 employees in the area.

Texas House Bill 3 requires an armed officer on every campus, but districts say cost and recruitment are the two biggest hurdles stopping them from complying with the new law. Last year, the state required all districts to have security officers at every campus but only provided funding to cover about 20% of this cost. Prop A provides additional funding for safety and security officers. 

San Angelo ISD has a consistent record of responsible financial practices, having decreased the M&O tax rate each year since 2019 and refinanced the 2008 bond twice, resulting in taxpayer savings of approximately $7 million over the life of the bonds.

“We’re grateful for all the support to our schools, students, and staff,” said Dr. Moran. “This is a wonderful community that I’m proud to serve.”