CHESTER – Chester ISD was recently approved for participation in the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program.
Three other districts (Spurger, Warren and Woodville) also participate in the program. The TIA was created as one of numerous programs under House Bill 3, a school finance bill passed in the 86th legislative session in 2019.
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the program elevates the education profession by providing school districts with systems and a method of funding to recruit promising new teachers, as well as to retain quality teachers and incentivize educators to work in high-needs schools.
The designation is met when districts apply for the program through a local designation system, which is reviewed and approved by TEA. Once the program is approved, according to TEA, the participating district can designate high-performing teachers and distribute additional salaries or stipends based on designations of teachers as a Master, Exemplary or Recognized teacher for a five-year period.
These designations are based on five-year periods of appraisals that measure student growth, according to TEA.
The program also uses ratings from the National Board Certification for teachers to identify participants for allotment earnings, with an automatic “Recognized” designation, regardless of whether the district has a local teacher designation in place.
The funding available for the teacher incentive allotment varies by designation:
At present there are 809 school districts in Texas participating in the TIA program. While the incentive allotments vary from $3,000 to $32,000, based on designation, the funding goes to the teachers’ school districts, with the requirement, by law, that 90% of the funds be used for the teachers’ compensation.
