Willis ISD board approves $1,000 employee retention stipend
The Willis ISD board of trustees approved a $1,000 employee retention stipend at its regular board meeting on October 21, 2026. The stipend will be released in December 2026 and applies to employees hired by November 1, 2026, who remain until May 26, 2027.
- When it happened
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- Where
- Willis ISD
- First reported by an outlet
- Oct 26, 2026 at 3:03 pm
- Confirmed by
- the original record or a trusted outlet
Taxes & money
| What | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Employee retention stipend | $1,000[1] | Willis ISD |
| Previous employee retention stipend | $1,500[1] | Willis ISD |
Willis ISD school tax rate, 2026-27
- Total rate
- $0.9998 per $100 of taxable value
- Operations
- $0.6318 per $100
- Debt service
- $0.3680 per $100
Willis ISD says the rate "will effectively be raised by 1.80 percent."
Source: Willis ISD, "Willis ISD Adopted 2026-2027 Tax Rate", August 20, 2026. This comes from that record, not from this story's sources. Checked October 19, 2026. Your bill also includes county, city and district taxes; your appraisal notice has the full list.
Who's involved
- Garrett Matej · Willis ISD Chief Financial Officer[1]
The facts
- The $1,000 stipend applies to anyone employed by Willis ISD as of November 1, 2026, who remains until May 26, 2027.[1]
- The stipend will be released in December 2026.[1]
- Any employee who leaves or has their contract terminated must repay the full stipend amount.[1]
- Willis ISD trustees previously approved a $1,500 stipend for educators and district staff at their April 22, 2026 regular board meeting.[1]
Who said what
- Garrett Matej, Willis ISD Chief Financial Officer Retention stipends are one of the ways the Board invests in the people who serve students, and attracting and keeping experienced, dedicated employees in Willis ISD is good for students and a responsible use of district resources.[1]
Sources
- News Willis ISD approves employee stipend at regular meeting Community Impact Newspaper · Oct 26, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.