CSISD teachers tell trustees about second jobs and burnout as a divided board works under new speaking rules

A teacher with 27 years in College Station ISD told the school board this week that she works 10- to 14-hour days and holds two other jobs to stay in the classroom.

"I can't even afford the health insurance that you offer me," Terri Barnett told trustees at their Tuesday, Oct. 20, meeting, KBTX reported. She was one of six parents and educators who used public comment to raise frustrations with the district, with teacher workload and pay at the top of the list.

Jessica McMurray, who taught in the district until the end of last school year, said exhaustion drove her out. "Because of the immense amount of burnout I felt, I resigned my position," she told the board.

A board split since summer

The comments landed in front of a board that KBTX says has split on several major votes since at least July.

At the Sept. 15 meeting, Board President Kim Ege laid out clearer rules for how trustees raise concerns. "If a trustee speaks on items other than the one specifically listed, I will call a point of order and ask them to stop," she said. Asked for comment this week, the district pointed KBTX back to that September statement.

Money behind the strain

KBTX tied the friction to a tight budget squeezed by flat state funding, rising costs and shrinking enrollment. Bryan ISD and Navasota ISD are asking voters this November to restructure tax rates; College Station ISD went to voters with a similar measure in 2022, adding more than $5 million to its budget.

Several items on Tuesday's agenda touched pay and staffing, according to the district's meeting preview. The afternoon workshop included a review of the board's local policy on employee compensation. The regular meeting listed a $1-an-hour raise for custodial employees, further discussion of a possible pilot program in which central office administrators would cover classes as substitute teachers, and approval of the 2026 tax levy.

That levy totals about $154 million at a rate of $0.9702 per $100 of value, half a cent below last year's rate because of required state compression of the operations rate. The district said the levy is about $6 million higher than last year, mostly because property values grew. The preview does not report how trustees voted on any of the items.

Sources

KBTX

csisd.org