Jasper Independent School District

TEACHER INCENTIVE ALLOTMENT

The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) was created by the Texas Legislature as part of House Bill 3 to help attract and retain highly effective teachers at traditionally hard-to-staff schools. The TIA would provide additional funding to eligible teachers based upon their T-TESS score and Student Growth measures. The funding formula prioritizes high needs and rural campuses. Districts, if they choose to, can develop a local designation system and designate high-performing teachers (Master, Exemplary or Recognized). Districts will receive additional funding ($3,000-$32,000 per year) for every designated teacher they employ.

In April 2021, Jasper ISD plans to submit an application to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to participate in this process.

Jasper ISD is applying as Cohort D and, if approved by both TEA and Texas Tech, will receive funding in the fall of 2023.

Jasper ISD Allotment Amounts

The funding available from the Teacher Incentive Allotment varies by designation. The exact amount of funding per teacher is determined by a formula that takes into account the level of socioeconomic need at a campus and whether the campus is rural.

TIA funding goes to the campus where the teacher works and not directly to the teacher. However, districts must spend at least 90 percent of their allotment funds on teacher compensation on the campuses where the designated teacher works. Districts can set aside the remaining 10 percent for costs associated with implementing TIA.

Teacher Incentive Allotment FAQs

TIA is a performance pay teacher evaluation system that may award additional compensation to teachers based on predetermined effectiveness criteria. This means that the most effective teachers in the district have an opportunity to earn additional compensation and that the District will carve out a growth path for developing teachers to aim for the same goal.
As a school district, we want to reward highly effective teachers who get results. It is essential that we ensure our students are learning from great teachers who are doing amazing things and experiencing better than average growth. We believe it is important to provide the opportunity for highly effective teachers to earn more without having to leave the classroom.
The work we are undertaking to secure TIA funding for the district is a multi-year process. TIA Texas established a rolling application process, whereby districts can apply in one of many cohorts. Jasper ISD is applying in Cohort D.
Based on TIA requirements, the evaluation criteria must include both a teacher observation and a student performance component.
LEAs must verify that each teacher meets the following eligibility requirements before submitting them for a designation:
- The teacher must have a valid SBEC certificate. Eligible types of certificates include Standard, Professional, Provisional. Eligible classes of certificates include Classroom Teacher (Chapter 233), Reading Specialist (Chapter 239), Legacy Master Teacher
- The teacher must be coded as 087 (Teacher) per the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) description of codes for 90 days at 100% of the day (equivalent to four and one-half months or a full semester) or 180 days required at 50-99% of the day and compensated for that employment
TEA designates that at least 90% of the funds received will be spent on teacher compensation on the campuses where the designated teacher works. Each campus is designated as Tier 1,2,3,4, or 5 according to the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled. The funds available for designations are:
- Master Level $12,000 - $32,000
- Exemplary Level $9,000 - $18,000
- Recognized Level $3,000 - $9,000
Teachers may receive performance-based incentives based on their designation. Refer to this TIA Texas Tool to determine how much each Jasper ISD campus is eligible to receive. Note that the final amount actually allocated to each campus depends on a number of variables.