LINDALE, Texas — As the school year comes to an end, East Texas schools are already preparing for the next year by hiring new employees but they're faced with a problem.
Local school districts like Lindale ISD says they are having trouble finding employees to fill positions ranging from custodial workers to bus drivers to teachers.
"Without improved funding, there's just so much we can do on pay increases for the staff that we need," said Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Surratt.
Surratt said the issue of compensation is driving potential employees to look elsewhere.
"Local businesses who have raised their salaries and their pay wages. And the school districts are struggling to do that," Surratt said.
East Texas schools are using social media to fill positions. Rains ISD and Cumberland Academy in Tyler are posting hiring flyer on Facebook.
"The legislature, again, have failed to follow through with a great plan to recruit more teachers or improved pay for teachers to bring more people to that profession," Surratt said.
Surratt said if the money doesn’t come from the state, they will have to look internally to find a solution.
"Trim some budgets, trim some programs, so we can better improve those pay raises," Surratt said.
According to the Texas Education Agency, the last time public education received state funding was in 2019 when House Bill 3 passed.
"They've got a massive surplus of funds at the state level, and they're not getting those to the local school districts," Surratt said.
Surratt said that public educators across the state have one common goal, to support their students and give them the resources they need.