San Marcos CISD Board Votes No On Temporary Pay Increase For Paraprofessionals, Auxiliary Employees

Corridor Staff 

The San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees voted against paying time and a half for paraprofessionals and auxiliary employees last week.

Trustee Miguel Arredondo requested the item be placed on the agenda for a special meeting to consider giving paraprofessionals and auxiliary employees time and a half for their hourly rate up to 40 hours per week.

The new hourly wage would have been in effect Aug. 4 until the board discontinued it.

“As we reopen our schools and as we bring back all faculty and staff, I think we’ve seen this being done in various places and spaces,” Arredondo said.

Arredondo said as one of the largest employers in the area, the action would show the district’s commitment to its staff and acknowledge their willingness to return to work in person.

According to James Barton, SMCISD assistant superintendent for business and support services, the action would impact the hourly salaries of just over 600 employees and would cost the district approximately $720,000 per month.

Auxiliary workers include transportation, bus drivers, child nutrition, custodial, and maintenance, according to Dr. Marcela Baez, assistant superintendent for human resources.

The proposal resulted in a length conversation amongst trustees with trustees acknowledging that the majority of auxiliary workers were members of the high-risk population.

Trustee Lupe Costilla expressed her appreciation and sympathy for the district’s employees who have worked throughout the pandemic, but she wouldn’t acting responsibly for the district as a whole in regard to the future budgets.

Barton said the action would be a monthly budget amendment brought before the board to be pulled from the district’s general fund.

“I think there might be some misconceptions out there that CARES money is there to provide for this kind of thing,” Barton said. “In reality, CARES funding is there for the startup of our schools.”

Barton noted the district has basically gone one to one for grades that weren’t and utilized two-thirds of the districts $1.6 million in CARES funding to purchase the technology, PPE, and other equipment.

“It would be wonderful to give everyone on a short-term basis additional money during this critical time,” Costilla said. “I feel that I have to be responsible and not irresponsible in looking out for not just the short-term but the long-term. What are the long-term consequences for spending $720,000 for let’s say three months?”

Barton said the district was in a healthy position financially right now with approximately $20 million in three months of cash reserves, but that there was a lot of uncertainty going forward, given the current situation.

“We are right where we want to be in our cash reserves right now, and adding an additional burden of $700,000 for this month or the month after, we will fall below that level very quickly,” Barton said. “I’d like to say absolutely that will be replenished with property taxes very quickly, but we know that our family and our community are experiencing some difficulty there too.”

The motion failed 2 to 4 with Trustees Ann Halsey and Arredondo voting in favor of the expenditure. Trustees Clementine Cantu, John McGlothlin, Kathy Hansen, and Costilla voted against the action.