The national teaching shortage, the great resignation, shifting trends and attitudes regarding post-pandemic education, and the spur of interest in entrepreneurship have all posed concerns for educational entities across the country looking to staff teaching roles for the upcoming school year.
Understanding the impact of these factors and others, the DeSoto Independent School District’s Board of Trustees and administrative leaders are aggressively working to design a revised plan that will competitively compensate new and returning teachers. While not yet final, district leaders are looking at ways to increase starting teacher salaries and step increases for more experienced teachers for the upcoming school year.
In response to public comments during the Monday, May 23, 2022, monthly Board meeting, DeSoto ISD Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Lewis said, “This Board and this administration are working diligently to come up with a fair and equitable compensation plan for the DeSoto Independent School District. (...) we are committed to taking care of our employees.”
Last academic year, the district announced the “Difference-Maker Bonus” of $3,000 for all district staff to reward employees for their service and commitment during the COVID-19 global health pandemic and support staff retention. As administrators work to develop and finalize the budget for the upcoming academic year, improved compensation that responds to the demands of the educational field and recent inflation is a priority.
“Educators deserve competitive compensation,” said Lewis. “As an administration, we have the opportunity to ensure we provide competitive compensation for the professionals who so diligently serve students and families in our school community with commitment and excellence. We want to design a compensation plan that is reflective of their quality and caliber while also creating a plan that attracts high-performing educational talent to guide us into the future greatness of the district.”
DeSoto ISD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Mya Asberry said, “At last night’s Board meeting, we discussed the significant academic gains our students demonstrated as a result of their performance on STAAR this year. That’s a testament to the incredible work of our teaching and instructional staff and those who support them. That’s why we are so laser-focused on ensuring we are doing everything we can to identify the best educators possible and compensate them appropriately. We want our scholars in DeSoto ISD to soar and, to do that, we need talent that knows how to fly.”
The district plans to release the complete and finalized compensation plan in the coming weeks.