Weatherford school trustees set pay, health insurance, meal costs for 2025-26 school year

Weatherford school trustees on Monday set teacher raises for the 2025-26 school year and chose a health insurance plan.

Much of the discussion of overall teacher pay for next year focused on staff in their first three years in the classroom — zero years of experience to two years.

Executive Director of Human Resources Kristi Dowd initially proposed a 1.5% hike for that experience level, which averaged $937 each.

Dowd also recommended $2,500 increases for those with three and four years, and double that for teachers with five or more years’ experience.

Those higher categories remained steady throughout discussions, but some trustees including Dan Woods advocated for the youngest teachers who are just starting a career and often a family.

“It seems like they’re the ones that really need the money,” he said.

Board President Mike Guest noted the rising cost of living.

“We’ve got to make sure those zeroes to two (years) have some sort of increase,” Guest said, prompting Jeff Ford to say, “I 100% agree with you.”

Lori Boswell, assistant superintendent of business and operations, reminded trustees that teacher compensation also would be affected by decisions they would make next when health insurance was the agenda item.

A 1.5% pay hike could be erased, she said.

“Our insurance is going to go up,” she said. “And there won’t be any increase for them.”

The board finally settled on a $1,000 increase for the newer teachers and adopted Dowd’s $2,500 and $5,000 recommendation for the more experienced educators.

Discussions on next year’s health insurance were led by consultant Scott Shapard’s news that this past year’s claims with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas had been high.

District- and employee-paid premiums for the roughly 700 employees participating, out of 1,100 eligible, had come to $5.6 million

Claims had come to $7.2 million.

“That’s a 127% loss ratio,” he said, adding more claims are expected during the summer. “So we’ll probably see it spike up again.”

The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, which expires at the new school year, included a 9.5% rate cap that Shapard later said the carrier was not proposing to continue. A rate cap limits increases on individual plans.

Against that background, Shapard said, the consultants “went to the market” and drew proposals from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna Health Care and United Health Care.

The consultant said he and partner Barbie Bricker then met with district staff and came to a recommendation for two employee options offered by Cigna.

“Cigna proposed the lowest overall cost,” he said. “They are the only provider that offered a two-year (rate) cap.”

That limit is 15% under the two-year contract.

Bricker noted an element in the Cigna proposal that offered savings if “employees make better decisions and take better care of their healthcare.”

Boswell later said the proposal includes a digital health platform, diabetes management resources, tailored health solutions for women and professional support with eating disorders, substance abuse and mental health challenges.

On Monday, she commended the consultants for finding the best choice.

“When this first came in, this was so defeating,” she said. “It truly is the best option out there with the claims experience we have here.”

Before the board approved the Cigna option, Guest said it will be a goal for the district to be in a better negotiating position when it looks for its next policy in two years.

Enrollment will begin in July. Dowd told trustees information on the two options will be available to employees through in-person meetings and webinars.

“Ultimately, the employee gets to choose,” she said.

Finally Monday, trustees raised meal costs 10 cents across the board.

That makes breakfasts $1.85 and lunches $3.25 at the elementary level and $3.35 for middle and high schoolers.

Monday’s actions followed discussion of a 2025-26 spending plan that concluded with board members bemoaning the results of the recently concluded 89th Legislature.

Lawmakers increased the per-student state allotment by $55 this session, the first increase since 2019. That was significantly lower than the initial proposal in a House plan that raised it by $395.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also led the charge to make $10,000 in tax money available for each child whose parents opt for private or home schooling.

“I’m disappointed in our leadership in Austin,” Guest said. “I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed of what they’re doing to the kids.”

He added Weatherford’s public school district is unfazed by whatever competition local private campuses offer.

“We welcome competition,” Guest said.

The state leaders insisted the $1 billion voucher expense won’t subtract funds for public schools, citing a $24 billion surplus.

“What happens in three years, or five years and we have a recession?” Vice President Brian Catlin asked. “I guess they’re going to look at us and say, ‘Sorry about the good years, but you’re going to have to raise taxes.’”

© 2025 Weatherford Democrat (Weatherford, Texas). Visit weatherforddemocrat.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.