The district is entering the phase of its budget process where employee compensation packages are revisited. Two of the biggest components of this are employee salaries and health benefits. To best understand what is most valuable to employees, a staff compensation survey was distributed to all staff.

The district received over 5,500 survey responses, which represents nearly half of all staff
and teachers.

Key takeaways from the survey include:

• If the district is able to budget additional dollars toward employee compensation, most employees (75 percent) would like to see those dollars go toward a salary increase as opposed to health benefits.
• While having robust health benefits is important to employees, 68 percent of employees would like to see the district shift some part of its investment in employee health benefits to employee salaries. 
• There is substantial support (86 percent) to continue the practice of structuring district health plan benefits so that employees earning lower wages contribute less to monthly premiums than employees earning higher wages.

These insights will help inform the decision-making process, in an effort to maximize district resources and offer competitive salaries and health plan options to all employees.

In the face of a growing budget deficit and rising health care costs the aim is to increase—or at a minimum to maintain—the overall level of compensation the district is able to offer employees. The recommended compensation package is scheduled to go to the Board of Trustees April 22. 

Save the Date: Upcoming Budget Town Hall Listening Sessions

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 6-7:30 p.m.
Travis Early College High School Cafeteria
1211 E. Oltorf Street
 
Thursday, Feb. 21, 6-7:30 p.m.
Reagan Early College High School Cafeteria 
7104 Berkman Drive
 
Saturday, Feb 23, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Austin High School Cafeteria
1715 Cesar Chavez Street