COPPERAS COVE – Staff in Copperas Cove will receive a one-time retention incentive later this calendar year.
Tuesday, the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a one-time retention incentive of $1,500 to be added to each full-time employee’s December paycheck.
“Because of budget constraints, we were unable to provide raises for our employees aside from the standard step increase for teachers,” said Dr. Joe Burns, Superintendent of Schools. “We regret we weren’t able to provide those, but we wanted to ensure our teammates know how valued and important they are to the work we do every day educating our students. We’ve been fortunate to keep a quality team of people in and out of the classroom, and we hope they stay with our district for years to come.”
Eligible part-time employees with the district will receive $750 on their December paycheck.
The board also approved the purchase of four 77-passenger school buses to replace aging buses in the fleet. This purchase is funded approximately 60% by a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
“These new buses will not only be more fuel efficient, but also afford the features of a new bus to the students who use them, including seat belts and air conditioning,” Burns said. “This board approval allows us to update our fleet with four buses for what is, essentially, the price of two and is something we are grateful for.”
The district also received approval for an extensive fencing project at Copperas Cove High School, enhancing the safety and security of all students and staff at the district’s largest campus.
Additionally, trustees approved the replacement of ductwork in Lea Ledger Auditorium at Copperas Cove High School, formally adopted the district’s Emergency Operations Plan and approved the establishing of bylaws for the district’s Safety & Security Committee. They also approved the purchase of the necessary computers and equipment to establish a CTE computer lab at S.C. Lee Jr. High and the purchase of 30 new AED machines, to ensure a machine is nearby at district facilities in the event of an emergency.
Trustees also voted to allow the district to apply for a Low Attendance Day Waiver from the state for Sept. 13th, when social media threats caused attendance for the day to drop significantly. If approved by the state, the waiver would allow the district to go back to the same day on the school calendar in the 2023-24 school year for its attendance that date.
Finally, trustees approved an out-of-state trip request from the Copperas Cove High School Band to Orlando, Florida, in March 2026 for the band to begin fundraising efforts.
The board will hold its regular November workshop at Noon on Nov. 18th and its regular meeting on Nov. 19th at 6:30 p.m. All three meetings will be held in the Board Room at the District Service & Training Center, located at 408 S. Main St.
Agendas are posted 72 hours prior to all meetings. Once posted, they can be viewed on the CCISD Board Meetings page.