During its May 17 meeting, the Lamar CISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $500, after taxes, signing incentive for new teachers hired before August 31. In addition, the District is increasing the starting teacher salary from $59,500 to $61,000. While this incentive is designed to attract new teachers to Lamar CISD, the Board and Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens finalized the 2022-2023 benefits and incentives for all our current teachers and staff who choose to serve in Lamar CISD which includes 3% raises for all employees.
Historically, the district has not been able to communicate and promote raises and incentives until late August after the Board approves the new budget. Even though Lamar CISD has supported teachers and staff by giving raises for multiple consecutive years, waiting so late to announce them can present hardships for staff as they start the year not knowing if their compensation is changing for the upcoming school year.
In addition, Dr. Nivens has seen how waiting for an August approval has made recruiting top talent a challenge for campus and administrative staff. As a result, he has directed that the District takes steps to move up the budget process so that staff receives this important information much sooner to give Lamar CISD a competitive edge during the peak months of recruiting season.
Lastly, the Board and Dr. Nivens know that education, especially after the pandemic, has been met with its challenges. The health and safety of our staff and students are a top priority. Therefore, for the first time, Lamar CISD is proposing to add two mental health days for teachers in addition to the sick and personal days already offered.