Texas teachers could see double-digit raises under program to retain top performers

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Thousands of teachers in Texas will receive raises over the next five years as part of the state’s plan to retain and reward high-performing educators.

More than two-dozen selected districts will get about $40 million as the result of 2019’s Teacher Incentive Allotment bill, according to the Texas Education Agency.

“This is a game changer for us as a rural community,” Matthew McHazlett, superintendent of the La Pryor Independent School District, said in a statement. “While a long process, it has been incredibly rewarding to see our teachers receive this recognition.”

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That recognition comes in the form of a “life-changing” raise of up to $30,000 a year, he said.

The program requires participating districts to implement systems that will rank teachers as “recognized,” “exemplary” or “master.”

Master-ranked teachers can generate an additional $12,000 to $32,000 in revenue for their districts – 90 percent of which must be paid into teacher salaries. Exemplary teachers carry an additional $6,000 to $18,000, and recognized teachers $3,000 to $9,000, according to authorities.

“It is huge for our kids to be in a classroom where the State of Texas has recognized a master teacher,” McHazlett said. “It makes everyone have more pride in themselves and it makes people feel good about our community.”

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Districts employing teachers in high-need and rural schools are slated to receive the higher values in those funding ranges.

“We are excited because the Teacher Incentive Allotment will be a recruiting tool for us to utilize as a small, rural, high-poverty district,” said Rebecca Bain, superintendent of the Fruitvale Independent School District. “Where teacher salaries are concerned, it can be difficult for a small district to compete with larger districts in regard to salary, even though our district is a wonderful place to work.”

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The TIA funding also aims to keep teachers in the classroom when they could otherwise move into administration roles, which traditionally pay better than teaching jobs, San Antonio-based KSAT reported.