WACO, Texas — Ninety-nine teachers in the Waco Independent School District will soon be given incentive pay under the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designation.
The TIA designation is a program established by the Texas Education Agency to "recognize, retain and incentivize highly effective teachers".
In August 2023, Waco ISD will distribute approximately $1.1 million to the 99 teachers who earned the designation in the two years that the district has participated in the program.
2023 will mark the second consecutive year that Waco ISD has recognized teachers under the program, and since the first collection year the number of recognized teachers has more than doubled, says the district.
An official ceremony to celebrate the teacher's accomplishments will be held in May 2023.
“These teachers are being awarded for being some of the best educators in the state,” said Waco ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Kincannon. “I am thrilled to see them receiving the recognition that they deserve. In addition to incredible outcomes they are achieving in the classroom, they have gone above and beyond to complete the arduous designation process. I want to thank Deputy Superintendent Dr. Josie Gutierrez and Director of Strategic Evaluation Systems and Support, Dr. Amy Hosick, for their efforts to help a larger number of teachers attain their TIA validation this year.”
To be approved for a Local Designation System, districts must go through a multi-year application process. The district begins with system development and submits an application that must pass statutory and regulatory requirements.
Districts must then implement the system for a full year to gather performance data on teachers, which must then be validated by Texas Tech University and the TEA.
For more on the TIA program, visit https://tiatexas.org/about-teacher-incentive-allotment/.