(August 10, 2021) Henderson ISD’s application for the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (or TIA) program has been approved, putting Henderson’s top teachers on track to earn substantially more in the coming years.
“We’re thrilled for what this means to our teachers and our students,” said Assistant Superintendent Amanda Wallace who oversees personnel and policy. “Our folks are laser focused on teaching and learning. TEA (the Texas Education Agency) and Texas Tech looked at all of our work including our plans for how we will identify our high-performing teachers and gave it the stamp of approval.”
“The district now begins its first data collection year,” explained Wallace referring to the 2021-2022 school year. “We will evaluate our teachers through observations and growth-based student measures during this school year and submit the results in November, 2022.”
Once the submitted data receives final approval, teachers in a number of specific subject areas and grade levels will be eligible for one of three designations including “Recognized,” “Exemplary,” and “Master.” Each designation comes with a five-year boost in salary which can range from $4,000 up to $23,000 per year. Alternatively, any teacher with National Board certification automatically qualifies at the “Recognized” level.
“We strongly encourage our teachers to begin applying for certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards since approval translates to an automatic designation.”
TIA was established by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019 with the stated goal of a six-figure salary for top teachers in high-need areas and rural district campuses. In part, it is an attempt to keep top teachers in the classroom instead of moving to administrative positions.