CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Hundreds ofCorpus Christi ISD(CCISD) teachers will receive a raise after earning respected designations through the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) process. Grounded in the Texas Education Code, the TIA was built for Texas schools to recognize teachers for outstanding performance in the classroom, offering them a pathway to a six-figure salary.
The district said 1,026 teachers hoped to be on the list of educators that received a salary increase. However, only 305 of them made the cut.
Dr. La Tricia Johnson, the district's Director of Strategic Evaluation Systems and Support said the incentives are based on a couple of merits through the state.
“One [of the factors] is their great evaluation system as well as meeting student growth measures," Johnson said.
This all started when CCISD submitted an application for the Teacher Incentive Allotments to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The application is vetted by TEA in conjunction with data analysts from Texas Tech University.
The university will then go through the district's data of suggested teacher designation level, campus socioeconomic level, and campus rural status to evaluate their eligibility and validity.
Teachers can earn one of three levels of designation: Recognized, Exemplary, or Master.
Each level receives a different allotment ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, mainly dependent on student growth. Students are tested multiple times throughout the year and the allotments are based on how successful teachers are at closing instructional gaps.
A 'Recognized' teacher in CCISD can earn an about $5,655 annually, someone who earn the 'Exemplary' level can earn $11,311, and finally, a 'Master' teacher can receive an allotment of $20,852.
Teachers with a National Board certification are automatically designated as Recognized. During the time that CCISD submitted their TIA application, the district had five National Board certified educators.
This is the only group of teachers that can receive an initial award and salary increase before the other TIAs are announced.
Johnson added that exact pay out allotments vary by campus based on demographics.
"It is based on student enrollment, the populations of those who are homeless, and the percentage of students that are bilingual," Johnson said.
A teacher incentive allotment also follows a teacher for five years, even if they move schools. It also factors into their retirement.
Johnson said the allotment is a great way for teachers to feel appreciated and also helps the district retain more educators for the future.
“Many of them [teachers] are just excited that they had the opportunity," Johnson said. "So this also provides us a chance to make sure that educators are awarded and rewarded for the hard work they do day in and day out."
CCISD will celebrate the hundreds of recognized teachers next month. They’re also preparing to submit a new group of educators for next year’s teacher incentive allotments.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
