Texas school districts gave thousands in raises to principals over the summer

As COVID-19 hit the Texas economy, some school districts gave pay raises to administrators throughout the summer. 

Information for the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) 20 biggest schools list was used to look at pay scales in all Texas schools that put their information online, the Texan reported. 

Between this year and last, salaries for school principals in the Dallas ISD increased up to $16,000, with magnet high school principals in the district seeing a jump from $128,000 to $144,000. The lowest increase in the district was for elementary magnet school principals, with an increase from $85,000 to $100,000, but the most typical raise was between $5,000 and $10,000. 

In Conroe ISD, elementary and ninth-grade principals saw a salary increase by nearly $5,000. This put their salaries at $107,231. High school principals with a minimum pay saw an increase from $177,247 to $122,598. 

El Paso ISD administrators also saw some pay raises over the summer, with middle to high school principals receiving a $1,000 to $4,000 raise depending on their former pay grade. 

In Katy ISD, principals received a pay increase of $1 or $2 per day. Here, administrators are paid by the day rather than by the year, the Texan reported.

Lewisville ISD also measures pay this way, but give $4 to $7 more per day for high school principals. 

Round Rock gave principals an average of a $1,000 raise for this school year, while principals in Pasadena ISD received $2,000 across the pay grades. 

But fixed salaries were kept for principals in Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD and Fort Worth ISD. 

As the coronavirus pandemic gave doubt of schools reopening in the fall, these districts gave raises to their principals and administrators, the Texan reported. 

This snapshot from TEA shows the 20 school districts with 50,000 students or more. The chart also links to school budgets and compensation plans.