Longview ISD approves minimum wage increase for hourly employees

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - The Longview ISD Board of Trustees approved setting the minimum wage for hourly employees at $15 per hour during their regular meeting Monday evening.

As a result of this new minimum, hourly wages for Longview ISD staff will be adjusted district-wide for all hourly workers.

Dr. James Hockenberry, assistant superintendent of District Services, said that all hourly positions will be reviewed, and “equity adjustments will be applied as necessary or as needed.”

“These adjustments are being put in place to recognize the value of all our employees, each and every one of them has a profound impact on student learning in their own way,” he said. “We know the cost of living is increasing, yet we also see the importance of their service and the positive impact they have on all of us, especially the children in our care.”

Hockenberry said the exact costs for the measure are still being worked out, but he expects the increase to be “somewhere in the neighborhood of $650,000.”

“Hourly employees will see the difference reflected in the September paychecks,” he said.

Funding for the pay raise will come from the district’s general budget.

Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said this plan has been in the works for some time, as the administration has researched the ongoing upward trends in the cost of living and inflation.

“We recognize the rise in costs has impacted us all, especially those staffers who are hourly, and this is one way in which we recognize the financial impact the current economic climate is having on our hourly staff,” said Wilcox. “Every single person who works for Longview ISD is vital to the educational success of the students in our care.”

“Our hope in raising the minimum wage, and the cumulative effect it will have on our hourly staffers, demonstrates that the board and administration truly cares about the financial difficulties many are facing during these challenging economic times,” he added.

The board already approved salary increases for district teachers and salary staff during their May 9 regular meeting. Included in the pay bump is a signing bonus of $1,550 to returning employees on the teacher scale, which will be paid out in the September and December pay periods.

Hockenberry said, prior to the measure, the district’s pay scale was “already among the highest in our region, and this new compensation structure ensures that Longview ISD remains a ‘destination district’ for the best of the best in East Texas.”