MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Manor Independent School District employees will soon have a dedicated mental health day starting in the 2024-2025 school year, the district announced.
The district announced that full-time employees will receive two days of mental health leave per year, one day per semester, “in addition to standard state and local leave already available to employees.”
Manor ISD is the first school district to implement a “designated leave” mental health day, according to a press release.
For part-time employees, “each semester they will be given a portion of their time equal to a percentage of their working day,” the release states. As an example, the ward provides employees with a half-day allowance twice a year if they work a half-day as a part-time employee.
“We understand that the health of our staff directly impacts the success of our students,” Manor ISD Superintendent Dr. Robert Soumani said in the release. “By adding a dedicated mental health day, we recognize the importance of mental health and give our teams the time they need to rest and refresh, allowing them to perform at their best in the classroom and beyond. .”
In accordance with district guidelines, staff may not take mental health days during mandatory attendance days such as required professional development or STAAR testing, or before or after district holidays/vacations. This number of days does not carry over or stack into new grades.
salary increase options
At its regular meeting scheduled for May 20, the Manor ISD board will consider the raise and continue to consider the option to “seek VATRE,” the statement said.
Employees will be offered a “guaranteed” 1% raise, with “the possibility of an additional 2% raise pending a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE) and approval,” the district said. . According to Manor ISD, VATRE will be held on Election Day, Nov. 4.
Additionally, if VATRE is approved, staff will receive a “3% midpoint increase in their gross salary,” the release states.
According to the school district, VATRE “allows voters to approve or disapprove tax rates adopted by the board.” If requested and passed, the district would have “access to a maximum amount of gold,” which would be used for the following purposes as determined by the district:
- Increase staff salaries by a total of 3% at the midpoint;
- Improve campus safety and security by funding the salaries and equipment of new school police officers.
- Strengthen mental health support by funding the salaries of new social workers and student programs.
In addition to the VATRE approval, “Manor ISD's projected tax rate for the 2024-2025 school year will be $1.0814 per $100 of taxable income, which is lower than the district's tax rate of $1.0861 for the 2023-2024 school year,” Manor ISD said. says.
