Compensation and Benefits

Managing military leave from a school district perspective can create challenges for HR staff as they navigate leave options and federal and state requirements.

tagged: "Employment law", "Family and medical leave", FMLA, Leave

Data from the 2021–2022 TASB/TASA Superintendent Survey is now available on TASB HRDataSource™.

tagged: Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

HR staff should be able to explain the overtime payment calculation to nonexempt employees who work two or more jobs at different rates of pay.

tagged: "Fair Labor Standards Act", FLSA, Nonexempt, Overtime

TASB HR Services has added three new documents to the HR Library for managing compensation challenges.

tagged: Compensation, HR, Salaries

Employee benefit-related questions regarding nonprescription, over-the-counter personal protective equipment (PPE) have been a source of confusion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

tagged: "Epidemic Response", "Health insurance"

The 2021–2022 TASB District Personnel Salary Survey is now accepting responses!

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Teacher stipends"

Creating a culture that promotes clarity and understanding in pay practices will yield benefits throughout the employee life cycle.

tagged: Compensation, HR, Recruiting, Salaries

Increased contribution rates for Teacher Retirement System (TRS) go into effect September 1, 2021.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Teacher Retirement System", TRS, "TRS surcharge"

This year’s TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey is now accepting responses!

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

The 87^th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature made no change to funding for the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).

tagged: Compensation, TEA, "Teacher recruiting", "Texas Education Agency"

The TRS Board of Directors met this month to approve proposed changes to TRS-ActiveCare rates for 2021–22 effective September 1, 2021.

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", "TRS ActiveCare"

Results from the TASB HR Services 2020–2021 HR Surveys shed some light on the current state of health insurance premiums and leave benefits in Texas school districts.

tagged: Benefits, Leave, Surveys

Most Texas school districts responding to our quick poll intend to implement a pay increase for the 2021–2022 school year.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", Surveys

Many districts are considering pay increases for 2021–2022 that may occur after the start of the school year because they’re contingent on availability of funding—either from student enrollment increases or from passage of a voter-approved tax ratification election (VATRE).

tagged: Compensation, "Teacher contracts", "Teacher Retirement System", TRS

Review this list of popular benefits to see how your organization’s offerings compare.

tagged: Benefits, Recruiting, Retention

If your district leadership team is in a quandary as to how to move forward with this year’s budget planning process, you are not alone.  

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", Salaries

Data from the 2020–2021 TASB HR Surveys is now available in TASB HRDataSource™.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, Leave, Surveys

TASB Risk Management Fund staff provide perspective on why educational entities experience an increase in unemployment claims during the summer and the importance of a Letter of Reasonable Assurance (LRA).

tagged: Compensation, HR, Unemployment

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has launched a website dedicated to helping people understand unemployment insurance identity theft and how and where to report fraud.

tagged: "Department of Labor", DOL, Unemployment

Nearly 100 districts statewide may have a teacher on staff with a designation under the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) for 2020–2021 but are currently without an approved local designation system in place.

tagged: Compensation, TEA, "Teacher contracts", "Texas Education Agency"

Calculating an allowable wage garnishment amount can present a challenge, especially when an employee is subject to multiple orders.

tagged: Compensation, "Employment law", Salaries, "Wage and hour"

Many community colleges in Texas skipped pay increases for 2020–2021, according to data from the TASB Community College Salary Survey, and the median faculty salary (across all degree levels) is $60,472.

tagged: "Community college", Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys"

As districts work through the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) system development process, some are hearing misconceptions about TIA rules and processes.

tagged: Compensation, TEA, "Texas Education Agency"

On February 4^th, TASB HR Services opened participation in the new HR Surveys using our online survey tool.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, Surveys, "Teacher contracts"

Hiring and retaining qualified career and technical education (CTE) teachers and knowing how much to pay them can be a challenge.

tagged: "Career and technology education", "Creditable service", CTE, "Teacher certification"

The Department of Education (ED) has suspended garnishment on federally held student loans through September 30, 2021, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

tagged: Compensation, COVID-19, "Epidemic Response"

Employers should continue to be diligent in reviewing unemployment claims for fraudulent activity.

tagged: Unemployment

President Biden’s spending plan points to upcoming efforts to increase the nationwide minimum wage to $15 per hour.

tagged: Compensation, "Department of Labor", DOL

Pay structures are a critical tool for ensuring pay levels for jobs within an organization are externally competitive and internally fair, form the underlying framework of pay systems, and define the link between employee pay and job value.

tagged: Compensation, HR, Salaries

Results from the 2020–2021 District Personnel Survey are now available in TASB HRDataSource™.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys"

Several conditions must be met for substitute teaching experience to qualify for creditable service.

tagged: Compensation, "Creditable service", Hiring, Salaries

As teacher shortages continue to plague the country, a new investigation seeks to find if providing bonuses or loan forgiveness to teachers in positions that are hard to staff can help.  

tagged: Compensation, Recruiting, Retention

Data from the 2020 TASB District Personnel Salary Survey is now available in TASB HRDataSource™.

tagged: Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Teacher stipends"

Pay for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructors can often be a source of confusion, but clear processes and communication to staff can alleviate some common headaches districts face.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries

School districts need to ensure correct reporting of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) paid leave benefits.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, COVID-19, Leave

TASB HR Services saw increased participation in salary surveys and looks ahead to other HR surveys.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys"

Districts considering giving employees a one-time payment can use TASB resources to help ensure practices are compliant and practical.

tagged: "Pay increases", Salaries

Statewide highlights from the 2020–2021 TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey have been released.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

TASB HR Services has made available two compensation plan templates in the HR Library—one for ISDs and ESCs, and one for community colleges.

tagged: Compensation, HR

A four-year study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education shows that teacher performance pay does boost student scores.

tagged: Compensation, "Employee performance"

We’re excited to announce a new reporting system for HR Services salary and HR survey data—TASB HRDataSource™.

tagged: Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

The TASB HR Services Salary Surveys are underway!

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Teacher stipends"

Employers should be on the lookout for unemployment benefit claims that were fraudulently filed.

tagged: COVID-19, "Epidemic Response", Unemployment

This year’s TASB District Personnel Salary Survey is now accepting responses!

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Teacher stipends"

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently announced the first districts approved for a Local Designation System as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), and nearly half of the approved districts (12 of 26) are charter schools.

tagged: Compensation, TEA

While the career ladder system ceased to exist in 1993, some public school employees are still entitled to additional pay if certain conditions are met.

tagged: Compensation, "Creditable service", Hiring, Salaries

TASB HR Services will provide two leave-related workshops updated to include Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) scenarios.

tagged: HR, "HR training", Leave

We’ve extended the due date for the TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey!

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

Most districts have procedures in place for determining new teacher salaries that are based on creditable years of service in education, but salary placement for new Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators, who typically have work experience directly related to their job outside of education, is another story.

tagged: "Career and technology education", Compensation, "Creditable service", CTE

This year’s TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey is now accepting responses!

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are a valuable yet underutilized benefit offered by most employers.

tagged: Benefits, HR

Invitations for the TASB Salary Surveys will be sent beginning in mid-July.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, salary, "Salary surveys"

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) introduced a new website dedicated to Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) updates and information.

tagged: Compensation, TEA

While early retirement incentives are prohibited, districts may consider offering an incentive for early notice of resignation.

tagged: Compensation, Staffing, "Teacher resignations"

In December 2019, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued final rules updating regulations governing the regular rate requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

tagged: "Department of Labor", DOL, "Fair Labor Standards Act", FLSA

When a coach or other extracurricular sponsor cannot fulfill their duties, districts sometime wonder what to do about stipends.

tagged: Compensation, "Educator contracts", "Teacher stipends", Termination

At its April 17 meeting, the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees decided on new health plans for TRS-ActiveCare and set the rates for 2020–2021.

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", "TRS ActiveCare"

In the early part of the winter, Teacher Retirement System (TRS) held regional meetings to discuss important basics of the TRS-ActiveCare program costs.

tagged: Benefits, "TRS ActiveCare"

Nonexempt employees must be compensated for all hours worked and may not work off the clock. In limited circumstances, nonexempt employees may volunteer to work outside of their usual duty schedule.

tagged: Compensation

Districts are in varying levels of readiness for developing local teacher designation systems to access funding from the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) in House Bill 3.

tagged: Compensation, "Educator contracts", TEA

Employers must begin using the 1099-NEC to report independent contractors’ 2020 pay.

tagged: "Human Resources Information System", "Independent contractor", "Internal Revenue Service"

Expansive research by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) provides evidence that a teacher’s attainment of a master’s degree has little to no impact on student achievement.  

tagged: Compensation, "Employee performance", Salaries, "Teacher stipends"

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) trustees have selected medical plan administrators for TRS-ActiveCare and TRS-Care.

tagged: Benefits, "Teacher Retirement System", "TRS ActiveCare", "TRS Care"

Stipends are a great way to compensate employees for taking on additional duties or for possessing high-need credentials, but the administration of stipends can become burdensome.

tagged: Compensation, FLSA, Nonexempt, "Teacher stipends"

The Additional Days School Year (ADSY) created by House Bill 3 incentivizes school districts to add up to 30 instructional days to any elementary school schedule.  

tagged: Compensation, "Educator contracts", "Teacher stipends", "Texas Education Agency"

The U.S. Department of Education has approved the 2020–2021 teacher shortage areas submitted by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

tagged: TEA, "Teacher shortage", "Texas Education Agency"

In the wake of House Bill 3 (HB 3), the median teacher pay increase was 7.0 percent among participants in the 2019–2020 TASB District Personnel Salary Survey.

tagged: "Pay increases", Salaries, "Salary surveys"

According to the 2019–2020 health insurance premiums survey conducted by TASB HR Services, Texas school district health insurance offerings have not changed much from previous years.

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", "TRS ActiveCare"

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional but stopped short of declaring the ACA unconstitutional in its entirety.

tagged: ACA, "Affordable Care Act", Benefits, HR

Results from the 2019–2020 District Personnel Salary Survey are available in DataCentral.  

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

HR administrators need to ensure pay compression doesn’t lead to employee pay inequity, low morale, and high turnover.

tagged: Compensation, Hiring, HR, Retention

TASB HR Services has partnered with Kreuz Consulting to add Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Strategic Planning Workshops to the HR Services list of local and regional training offerings.

tagged: Compensation, HR, "HR training"

Concerns that teachers will be taken advantage of surfaced as changes to safeguards related to investment products offered to school district and open enrollment charter school employees go into effect.

tagged: Benefits, "Teacher Retirement System", TRS

HR Services members challenged with calculating the regular rate for overtime when a nonexempt employee performs two or more jobs at different pay rate can find help in the HR Library.

tagged: Compensation, "Fair Labor Standards Act", FLSA, Overtime

Results from the 2019­–2020 TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey are available now in DataCentral.  

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

Although it seems improbable, employers may from time to time encounter an employee who declines a pay raise or promotion.

tagged: Compensation, "Employment law", "Pay increases"

Employers may choose to establish leave donation programs to assist employees who exhaust their paid leave because of an extended, catastrophic illness or injury.

tagged: HR, Leave

Complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act is a complicated endeavor. Understanding when to pay a nonexempt employee for travel time is a common compliance issue that school districts wrestle with.

tagged: Compensation, "Fair Labor Standards Act", FLSA, Nonexempt

Each fall, our districts and colleges receive salary surveys from HR Services and work to collect data on the variety of benchmarks we survey—including the District Personnel and Community College Surveys launching this month.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", Surveys

We're extending the deadline for the 2019–2020 TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey, and districts can now submit responses until September 6.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

Texas school districts operating on district of innovation calendar exemptions are enjoying earlier start dates, but may need to rethink their payroll calendars as a result.

tagged: Compensation, DOI, Nonexempt, "Payday law"

The 2019–2020 TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey launched July 23 and districts can submit responses until August 20.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Superintendent salaries"

Does an employee on leave for military service accrue leave? Find out in this Q&A.

tagged: Benefits, "Family and medical leave", FMLA, Leave

The TRS Benefits Committee met to review proposed changes to TRS-ActiveCare rates for 2019–2020 and approved an increase of 3 percent for all TRS-ActiveCare 1-HD and TRS-ActiveCare Select plans.

tagged: "Health insurance", TRS, "TRS ActiveCare"

Weekly wage penalties, or the cost to work in the teaching profession instead of going into another field, have increased in the United States over the past couple of decades, and Texas is among the most affected.

tagged: Compensation, "Teacher Pay"

A new report found Texas is about as average as it gets when it comes to teacher pay, ranking 23rd out of the country’s 50 states.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", Salaries

New research shows students achieve at higher levels in math and reading in countries that pay teachers more for their skills.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", Salaries

Living wages, or a wage high enough to maintain a normal standard of living, have gained national attention over the last few years and sparked a review of minimum wage law across the country.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", "Wage and hour"

Understanding workers’ compensation benefits can be a challenge. Take this quick quiz to test your knowledge and understanding.

tagged: Compensation, "Workers’ compensation"

With health insurance costs climbing, many employees in Texas districts are picking up extra work on the side.

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance"

Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code allows employees to purchase certain insurance pre-tax. Here are answers to some common questions districts ask about this type of plan. 

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance"

We’ve released data from the 2018–2019 TASB Extra-Duty Stipend Survey on DataCentral—this year’s cycle of salary surveys is complete!

tagged: Compensation, "Salary surveys", Surveys

According to our most recent survey, Texas school district health insurance offerings remain similar to last year with a few small changes.

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", "TRS ActiveCare"

A recent article from SHRM offers a good reminder for HR departments to help employees review and adjust their paycheck withholdings with new tax laws in effect.

tagged: Compensation, "Employment law"

A recent survey looks at consumer engagement and value-based health insurance design. 

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", "TRS ActiveCare"

How do letters of reasonable assurance reduce unemployment compensation costs? Find out in this Q&A.

tagged: Benefits, Employment, Unemployment

A total of 96 percent of public school employees do not participate in Social Security, according to a new study conducted by TRS.

tagged: Benefits, "Teacher Retirement System", TRS

Can teachers be required to participate in meetings or professional development during their planning and prep period? Find out here.

tagged: compensation, employment

Market data is a valuable benchmarking tool. Here's how to use it to your district's advantage.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases"

Columbia-Brazoria ISD is launching a new approach to incentivize their best teachers to share skills and knowledge with other teachers.

tagged: Compensation, "Districts of innovation", "Teacher training"

While bachelor's degrees account for 56 percent of good jobs, other pathways yield similar success. 

tagged: Compensation, Employment

Learn about the three main pay strategies and when to employ them. 

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases"

Talented teachers in Dallas ISD can advance their salaries higher and faster than in any other school district in Texas.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases"

Effective organizations provide employees with clear communications about their pay and benefits and often see higher employee job satisfaction than organizations that don't.

tagged: Salaries

A district’s pay system should support district goals for recruiting, retaining, and rewarding high quality employees.

tagged: Compensation

At TASB HR Services, we get several common questions about comp time and we’ve listed and answered them in this article.

tagged: Compensation

Can districts pay employees who waive health care coverage? Get the answer here. 

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance", TRS, "TRS ActiveCare"

What does the law say about wage garnishment and student loans? We explain the basics of wage attachments here. 

tagged: Benefits, Compensation

The TEA announced the shortage areas for 2018–2019, once again revealing a need for bilingual and special education teachers.

tagged: TEA, "Teacher shortage", "Texas Education Agency"

Texas schools districts in some regions will struggle to give pay increases for the 2018‒2019 school year, according to the latest prospective pay raise poll conducted by TASB HR Services.

tagged: "Pay increases"

Even though technology salaries rose slightly, satisfaction with pay has dropped nationwide. Check out more salary trends for technology professionals from the Dice 2018 Tech Salary Report. 

tagged: Compensation, Salaries

Preliminary results from our new Dual Credit Teacher Pay survey reveal less than half of Texas school districts provide the funding for dual credit teacher pay.

tagged: Salaries, "Teacher stipends"

We've put together a list of dos and don’ts that should help HR staff with some relevant Family and Medical Leave guidance.

tagged: "Family and medical leave", FMLA, Leave

Extra-duty pay for high school football coaches as well as stipend payment methods revealed in latest stipend survey results.

tagged: Compensation, "Teacher stipends"

How long can an employee on unpaid leave continue to receive health coverage through the district? Find out in this Q&A!

tagged: Leave, "TRS ActiveCare"

With so many teachers burdened by student loan debt, it’s important for district HR staff to make sure its employees are aware of loan forgiveness programs.

tagged:

Should duty days and salary be written into the employment contract for each employee? Find the answer to this and other questions in this article. 

tagged:

The median Texas teacher average salary rose to $47,898, a slight increase of 1 percent over last year’s median of $47,283, according to the 2017‒2018 TASB Salary Survey. 

tagged: Compensation, "Salary surveys"

The results of the TASB HR Services Health Insurance Premiums Survey are here. View the data and some of the takeaways in this article.

tagged: "Health insurance"

What is Temporary Disability Leave (TDL) and who is eligible for this leave type? Find out in this Q&A!

tagged: Leave, "Temporary disability leave"

According to preliminary results of the annual TASB/TASA Superintendent Salary Survey, the average pay increase in 2017‒2018 for continuing superintendents was 2.9 percent. Read this story for details from the survey.

tagged: Compensation

Which employees are eligible for stipends? How much money should be dedicated to an extracurricular stipend? Find the answers to these questions and more in this article. 

tagged: Certification, Compensation, "Teacher stipends"

Base salaries for U.S. employees are expected to rise 3.1 percent in 2018, slightly above actual 2017 levels, according to an annual WorldatWork survey.
 

tagged: Compensation

How does school district leave support military deployments? Districts with deployed employees should be prepared to provide leave benefits and reinstatement rights appropriately.

tagged: Leave, Rehire

Can an employee use state leave at the beginning of the school year? Find out in this Q&A!

tagged: Benefits, Leave

New data from Dallas County nonprofit Commit! sheds some light on the effectiveness of TEI. 

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases"

Can a district require direct deposit of employee paychecks? Find out in this Q&A!

tagged: Compensation, "Payday law"

Teachers receiving merit-based pay provide the equivalent of nearly four additional weeks of student learning, according to a recent study.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", Recruiting, Retention

McAllen ISD is one of the many districts offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to transportation employees and other workers through the Texas Workforce Commission's (TWC) Adult Education and Literacy Program. 

tagged: Benefits, "English as a Second Language", ESL

Only 37 percent of public schools across the country provide full-time athletic training services, but in Texas, that percentage is much higher.

tagged: Hiring

Data from the TASB District Personnel Salary Survey shows that, since 2007, fewer districts are utilizing the state minimum teacher salary, instead paying above the minimum required. 

tagged: Compensation, Staffing

Since the 2014 oil bust, have bus driver vacancies been filled? As oil prices rebound, what changes might we expect in bus driver pay? 

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, Staffing

Extra-duty pay for high school football coaches and other extracurricular duties revealed in latest stipend survey results.

tagged: Compensation, "Teacher stipends"

In the midst of a legislative session in which school funding is sure to be further reduced, districts are tasked with creating new ways to offer more benefits with fewer resources.

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, Recruiting

Bryan ISD's targeted compensation plan focuses on increasing academic success and attracting and retaining high-performing classroom teachers.

tagged: Compensation, "Pay increases", Salaries, "Teacher stipends"

The median Texas teacher salary rose to $47,283, an increase of 2 percent over last year’s median of $46,450, according to the 2016‒2017 TASB Salary Survey. Median teacher salaries have been steadily rising since 2012.

tagged: Compensation, Salaries, "Salary surveys"

Most responding Texas school districts (82 percent) saw their health insurance costs rise in 2016‒2017, according to the latest health insurance premiums survey conducted by TASB HR Services. 

tagged: Benefits, Compensation, "Health insurance"

Employee health is kind of a big deal. Most districts are aware of that fact. Here's what some districts are doing to ensure the well-being of their staff. 

tagged: Benefits, "Health insurance"