This podcast contains comments from the October 19, 2021 College Station ISD school board meeting from the district's chief financial officer Amy Drozd and transportation director Hector Silva.

Copy and paste this link to read and download a memo from Amy Drozd to the CSISD school board: https://wtaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSISD101921raises.pdf

College Station ISD school board members approve a request from administrators to raise pay for substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and bus drivers.

A memo from CSISD chief financial officer Amy Drozd says the district has 14 bus driver vacancies and one trainee. That has resulted in mechanics, office staff, and administrators in the transportation department filling in as drivers. CSISD also has to give priority to getting students to and from school over extracurricular trips. The board approved a 50 cent an hour raise for new and current drivers. That would get CSISD to within a dollar a hour of the district's biggest competitor. Additionally, CSISD will give a $1,000 dollar hiring incentive to new drivers and $750 dollars to current CSISD employees who get their CDL and becomes a driver. Transportation director Hector Silva says the incentive is used in Houston area districts, and there is minimal problem of drivers leaving those districts after receiving the hiring bonus.

As for substitute educators, Drozd's memo stated campuses have had to be creative to cover classes when a substitute can not be found. Drozd says students are moving into other classrooms, teachers are giving up free periods, and campus administrators are covering. The board approved a pay increase of five dollars in the daily rate for subs and paras. If the sub has an assignment from 10 to 21 days, the raise would be ten dollars a day.

Raises for subs and paras starts November 1, and for bus drivers starting January 1.

The additional expense is $191,000 dollars. Drozd noted CSISD's total compensation budget is $100 million dollars.