BIG SPRING, TX – On Monday night, the Big Spring ISD Board of Trustees met for a regular meeting and here are the highlights.
14 teachers were recognized as Teacher Incentive Allotment or TIA designees. TIA was established with the goal of providing outstanding teachers an accessible pathway to a six-figure salary. Unlike previous education programs, the Teacher Incentive Allotment is not a grant. Through approved local designation systems, districts can identify and designate outstanding teachers based on student growth and classroom observation. Eight of these teachers received the designation for the first time, and the other 6 were recognized for moving up a designation.
Fabian Serrano, Board President, was selected as the BSISD Delegate to the TASB Delegate Assembly.
Board members approved an adjunct faculty agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service – Howard County. This allows students participating in Ag events to be counted as an extracurricular absence.
A donation of $1,500 from Gallagher Construction for Monday’s convocation meal was approved.
The Student Code of Conduct for 2025-2026 was approved with the changes that were made as a result of the 89th legislative session. This includes any state laws passed, including HB1481 which prohibits the use of personal communication devices during school hours.
Board approved action for Chapter 49. According to Susan Bryan, Chief Financial Officer for BSISD, property values for the district dropped by $1 billion. The district is not anticipating paying anything, unless there’s a significant decrease in the student count.
The Hiring Schedule for 2025-2026 showed an increase in teacher salaries. This is a result of the 89th legislative session. Teachers with 3-4 years of experience will see a $4,000 increase, and teachers with 5 years and above will receive an $8,000 increase. Bryan advised that local salary will reflect as follows:
Step 0 – same, no increase
Step 1 and 2 – $500 increase
Step 3 and above – will receive the larger raises
The proposed tax rate based on certified taxable values is $0.752678/$100 valuation. This breaks down as the following:
- Maintenance and Operations – $0.6669 / $100 valuation
- Debt Service – $0.085778 / $100 valuation
During the meeting, it was announced that per HB1481, students will not be allowed to use personal communication devices during the school day. This includes cell phones, smart watches, personal computers, and hearing devices. Superintendent Jay McWilliams advised that students will be allowed to have them on campus, but they must be turned off and kept in their backpacks or in their vehicle. Students will be able to use their phones on the bus when attending school events. Failure to adhere to the rules will result in the device being confiscated and a parent or guardian on the pick-up list will have to retrieve it. Parents/guardians can opt to leave the device in the vault for 3 days. Consequences for continuous noncompliance will result in ISS. The BSISD Personal Communication Device policy will be posted to the BSISD facebook page.
Board members also approved an expenditure of over $150,000 for contact speech therapy services.
Public hearing on the 2025-2026 budget and proposed rate is set for Aug. 28, 2025.
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