Collin College board approves FY 2025-26 budget, 4% pay increase
Collin College staff can expect a 4% raise in fiscal year 2025-26.
The overview: The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved a budget of $437.44 million and increased base salaries by 4% during an Aug. 26 board meeting.
Diving in deeper: College officials completed a review of peer and local market salary data through the Texas Association of School Boards for the college’s pay system. This review included salaries for other community college systems, universities and the college’s school district partners, said Melissa Irby, Collin College’s chief financial officer.
What to know: Most Texas school districts required to display donated Ten Commandments posters under state law
Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.
The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:
Alamo Heights ISD
Austin ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Houston ISD
Lackland ISD
Lake Travis ISD
North East ISD
Northside ISD
Plano ISD
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling and directed other school districts to begin displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
The debate: Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars have stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context.” Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
