For the first time UISD announced and recognized teachers designated recipients of the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) extra teacher funding. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) program was kicked-off with a celebration to acknowledge the district’s highly distinguished teachers with their well earned designation status (Recognized, Exemplary, Masters). 41 educators from different schools in the district will be taking home more pay thanks to an incentive program created by the Texas Legislature in 2019 as part of House Bill 3 to provide a realistic pathway for top teachers to potentially earn six-figure salaries and to help school districts attract and retain highly effective teachers at traditionally hard-to-staff schools. The new allotments for UISD are as follows: Recognized $6,300-$8,500, Exemplary $12,000-$17,000 and Master $23,000-$30,000.
The UISD Department of Curriculum and Instruction organized the recognition celebration to mark the occasion, kicking-off the much-anticipated program in the district. The teachers were called out one-by-one by their respective schools to be recognized at the event held at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Center. TIA rewards teacher excellence in Texas by allowing school districts to create compensation plans based on teacher effectiveness and student equity. The teacher designations generate additional teacher-focused allotment funding for districts in order for them to reward their top performers.
Superintendent of UISD Schools David H. Gonzalez said that he would like to see more teachers added to the program in the future, “So many educators go above and beyond when it comes to providing the best education for our students. We find many ways to thank and recognize them, but this designation will allow them to take extra cash home to spend it as they need, whether it be send their children to college, buy a new home or even go on a much deserved vacation.”
Emma Leza, UISD Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, said the idea is long overdue, “We expect a lot from our teachers, and TIA allows us to provide that incentive to keep them in the classroom. It’s time to give teachers the same opportunities that exist out in the business world. Our children deserve the best teachers, and this program will help us attract and retain them.”
Clotilde Gamez, UISD Director for Continuous Improvement said administrators were eager to initiate TIA at UISD, “The program required system approval by TEA and data validation. It’s a great program, and we are happy to be able to reward teachers for their hard work, and we hope to add more teachers in the future.”
Those teachers announced today will continue with the program as long as they meet the requirements. The approval process is multi-step and includes the submission of a system application to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and a data validation process through Texas Tech University. Teachers earn designations through two different routes. First, National Board Certified teachers are eligible to earn a Recognized designation. Second, districts may designate their effective teachers when they are approved for a local teacher designation system.
According to TEA, any number of teachers may be put forth for designation under a local designation system if they meet the district’s designation criteria and the eligibility requirements under the rules defined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TEA does not cap or limit the number of designations a district may issue. Teachers with an active National Board Certification may automatically be designated as Recognized if they meet the eligibility requirements under the rules defined by TEA.
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