Copperas Cove ISD approves teacher stipends, staff pay raises

Copperas Cove ISD trustees approved a pay package Tuesday night that gives returning classroom teachers a $500 retention stipend and raises all other employees’ pay by 3% of midpoint pay, a move aimed at keeping staff in a district that serves many Fort Cavazos-connected families.

The board took the action at its regular April 21, 2026 meeting at 6 p.m. in the CCISD Board Room at 408 S. Main St. in Copperas Cove. District leaders said the new structure leaves RISE intern salaries unchanged for 2026-27, while clerical and paraprofessional employees will see the greatest improvement under the updated pay plan.

The decision lands in a school system where turnover can affect far more than paychecks. Copperas Cove ISD has said it wants to avoid having to look outside the district for leadership and staffing needs, a goal that matters in classrooms, front offices and support roles that keep the day running for students and parents. For military families tied to Fort Cavazos, staff stability can shape everything from enrollment paperwork to special education support to the face students see at the front door each morning.

The same April meeting also brought updated principal assignments for the 2026-27 school year. Jeff Shannon was named principal of Copperas Cove High School, Dr. Rebekah Shuck was named principal of Copperas Cove Jr. High, Vanessa Vazquez was promoted to principal at Fairview/Jewell Elementary, Heather Peacock was named principal of Clements/Parsons Elementary and Robin Lawrence was named principal of Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy. Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins said those moves showed the strength of the district’s internal leadership pipeline and its ability to address staffing needs without going outside the district.

The pay vote follows a pattern of incremental compensation changes in recent years. In August 2025, CCISD said it was able to provide raises to every employee for the first time in two years while working through a roughly $92 million budget and a projected deficit of about $358,000. The district also held its tax rate at $0.7575 per $100 valuation. In August 2023, trustees approved a 2% across-the-board raise for clerical and auxiliary staff and a teacher step increase.

Copperas Cove ISD has also leaned hard into military-family support. The district says it has 11 Purple Star campuses and describes itself as helping military families transition smoothly and stay connected to programs and services in the Copperas Cove and Fort Cavazos area. That makes Tuesday’s compensation vote more than a payroll adjustment. It is part of the district’s effort to keep experienced educators, clerical workers and paraprofessionals in place for a community where school staffing stability affects daily life as much as any classroom program.