Northwest ISD raises minimum wage for some employees

The Northwest ISD Board of Trustees this week unanimously approved an increase in minimum wage for paraprofessional employees and bus monitors.

Beginning with this week’s paycheck, the minimum wage for an hourly Northwest ISD paraprofessional staff member will increase from $12.50 to $15 per hour, and the minimum wage for bus monitors will increase to $14 per hour. Affected employees will also see an increase in this week’s paycheck from backpay, as the new rate will be retroactive from the start of the 2022-2023 school year, according to a district news release.

The raises aim to keep NISD competitive in the hiring marketplace.

“Both the school board and district administration believe paraprofessionals put in extensive effort to continue the excellence Northwest ISD is known for and appreciate their tremendous work supporting students, families, teachers, schools and other groups,” the district said in a statement.

The new rates will extend to the district’s outsourced custodial staff, according to the district, which is also examining the pay rates for outsourced food service staff and plans to seek an increased rate in the coming months. Northwest ISD is currently undergoing a third-party salary study to determine recommendations going forward. This study will compare Northwest ISD to analogous school districts, both in terms of the region and other factors, such as enrollment amount, socioeconomic conditions and more.

The increased minimum wage follows compensation improvements for other categories of district staff during the 2022-2023 school year, including a 3% midpoint raise for all full-time employees and an increase to the hourly rate for bus drivers. It also continues a compensation commitment championed by Dr. David Hicks, the district’s former superintendent, before his passing last month. Hicks informed staff at this year’s convocation that Northwest ISD will continue to find ways to ensure the district increases pay and benefits to better compete to attract and retain the best staff possible, according to the district.