Manor ISD adds mental health days, discussing salary increase for staff
Manor Independent School District staff will soon have days dedicated to their mental health starting the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the district.
MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- Manor Independent School District staff will soon have days dedicated to their mental health starting the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the district.
The district said full-time employees will receive two mental health days a year, one each semester, "in addition to the standard state and local leave days already granted to staff members."
Manor ISD said it's the first district to implement mental health days via "specific leave days," according to a press release.
As for part-time staff, "they will receive a portion of time each semester that is equivalent to the percent of the day that they work," the release said. As an example, the district said if an employee works a half-day as a part-time staff member, they will get two half days per year.
“We understand that the well-being of our staff directly influences the success of our students,” Manor ISD Superintendent Dr. Robert Sormani said in the release. “By adding dedicated mental health days, we are acknowledging the critical importance of mental wellness and offering our team the time they need to rest and rejuvenate, ensuring they can perform at their best both in the classroom and beyond."
Staff cannot take a mental health day during a mandatory attendance day, like required professional development and STAAR testing, or before or after a district holiday/break, according to district guidelines. These days will not roll over or accumulate into new school years.
Salary increase options
During its regularly scheduled meeting on May 20, the Manor ISD Board of Trustees will consider salary increases, as well as continuing exploring options "to call for a VATRE," the release said.
Staff could be provided a "guaranteed" 1% raise with the "possibility of raising by an additional 2% through holding and pending the approval of a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE), the district said. The VATRE takes place during Election Day on Nov. 4, according to the Manor ISD.
Furthermore, if the VATRE is approved, staff would then be able to receive "a total salary increase of 3% of the midpoint," the release said.
The VATRE "allows voters to approve or disapprove the tax rate adopted by the Board of Trustees," according to the district. If it is called for and passed, this would allow the district to "access the maximum amount of golden pennies," which would then go towards the items laid out by the the district below:
- Increasing staff salaries by a total 3% of the midpoint,
- Increasing campus safety and security by funding salaries for new school police officers and equipment, and
- Increasing mental health support by funding salaries for new social workers and student programs.
In addition to the VATRE being approved, "the projected tax rate for Manor ISD would be $1.0814 per taxable $100 for the 2024-2025 school year, which is lower than the district's $1.0861 tax rate for 2023-2024," according to Manor ISD.