AUSTIN (KXAN) — As students and teachers are off for the summer, the Austin Independent School District board met to pass the 2022-2023 budget Thursday.

“It is going to be the first balanced budget proposed to the trustees in six years that doesn’t require dipping into cash reserves,” said AISD spokesperson Jason Stanford. “It is going to do that in a way that we can offer retention bonuses and pay increases to teachers, hourly workers such as custodians, bus drivers and the counselors.”

Some of the top priorities that were discussed were teacher pay and retention. The district said it hopes to be the highest paying district in Central Texas in the next two years.

Approximately 86% of AISD’s general fund budget goes toward payroll costs.

“It is going to be a 2% for all of the teachers based on the midpoint of their pay range,” said Stanford.

The compensation plan for teachers calls for a 2% increase, and that’s based on midpoints of all salaries. Teachers will also get a $1,000 base pay increase and a $2,000 retention raise to be split evenly and given in November and March.

The 2022-23 scale for teachers is increasing to a base minimum of $52,190.

Teachers in AISD can earn increases based on their appraisal, campus type and optional participation in professional growth and leadership opportunities. This means every teacher in AISD has an individualized rate not necessarily tied to their years of service.