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Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) employees urged trustees Thursday, June 4, not to cut long-standing retention benefits, even as the district approved raises and continued looking for ways to manage ongoing budget pressure.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the district’s 2026-27 compensation plan, including a new-hire salary schedule, special education stipends and a supplemental pay schedule. The approved plan includes a 2% raise for teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, paraprofessionals and auxiliary staff. Administrators and other employee groups will receive a 1% raise.
District officials removed two items from consideration before the vote: a years-of-service payment, also referred to as longevity pay, and a supplemental stipend for bus drivers and monitors. Officials said both items are expected to return for further discussion in August.
The vote came as the district continues working through budget concerns tied partly to declining enrollment. Officials said CFBISD is looking at about 95 positions that could be reduced through attrition, but would need to reduce more than 300 positions to reach a balanced budget in 2027-28 if current conditions continue.
Administrators said the district has lost more than 2,000 students, and each lost student represents roughly $8,000 in funding.
Several employees used public comments to ask trustees to preserve longevity pay and accumulated leave reimbursement upon retirement.
Jennifer Pete, who said she has worked in the district for 20 years, told trustees she has seen more new teachers enter the profession and some leave in the middle of a semester. She said the incentives help CFBISD compete with other districts and retain teachers who know the curriculum, families and community.
“CFB needs to attract good teachers, keep current teachers and retain teachers for longer periods of time,” Pete said.
Pete said cutting the benefits would be a mistake at a time when the district is trying to avoid turnover.
“Removing it retroactively breaks a promise to teachers and changes the terms of commitment CFB already made,” she said.
Monica Weese, who said she spent 13 years as a CFBISD student and 30 years as an employee, said longevity pay recognizes long-term service across the district. She said the payment is $500 for every five years of service, or about 55 cents a day for a 187-day teacher.
“I understand the district is facing difficult financial challenges and balancing a budget requires making tough decisions,” Weese said. “I urge you to reconsider eliminating longevity pay and accumulated leave buyback for retirees.”
Board President Cassandra Hatfield later clarified that accumulated leave reimbursement is addressed in board policy DEC and was not part of the compensation vote. She said the board’s governance subcommittee is reviewing the policy after a board member requested a review.
“As of right now, there have not been any changes to accumulated leave because that is in board policy,” Hatfield said.
The compensation discussion was not the only item tied to staffing. Trustees also approved a two-year strategic staffing support plan for Polk Middle School, where administrators said the campus has a D rating after several years in the C range.
District officials said Polk has 861 accelerated instruction assignments across reading, math and science, the highest total among district middle schools. Students who do not meet the approaches grade-level standard on STAAR are required to receive 15 to 30 hours of accelerated instruction.
Staffing also was cited as a concern. Administrators said 14 of Polk’s 32 core instructional positions were vacant, and that number had risen to 15.
The Polk plan includes temporary stipends intended to attract and retain educators and campus leaders during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. The proposal is not to exceed $250,000 annually, or $500,000 over two years.
Administrators also discussed the possibility of rebranding Polk as a preparatory academy while building on its AVID program and fine arts offerings.
Trustees approved several consent agenda items, including updates to the student code of conduct and purchases tied to a phone-free schools grant.
The code of conduct changes include allowing families to appeal disciplinary alternative education program placements virtually or by email rather than requiring physical delivery to the district within one business day. District officials also said transportation will not be provided to the disciplinary alternative education program next school year.
The district also plans to buy lockable storage devices and about 8,000 phone pouches using a state grant connected to House Bill 1481, which restricts student cellphone and electronic device use during the school day. Administrators said CFBISD recorded about 2,500 documented device infractions this school year.
Some campuses are expected to pilot the pouches, with each campus deciding how devices will be collected, secured and returned.
Earlier Thursday, Carolyn Benavides and Cinthya Noda Vazquez were sworn in for three-year board terms after the May 2 election. Trustees then unanimously selected Hatfield as president, Kim Brady as vice president and Ileana Garza-Rojas as secretary.
But the unresolved compensation items will bring employee-retention questions back to the board later this summer, when trustees are also expected to continue work on the district’s final budget.
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