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Killeen ISD gives $2.5 million in funding for incentive pay program

The Texas Education Agency approved and accepted Killeen ISD’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designations, according to the district.

KILLEEN, Texas — Editor's Note | The videos above and below are previous segments on KISD

The Killeen Independent School District says it is gearing up to give $2.5 million in incentive pay to its top achieving teachers, according to the district. And it is all thanks to a new state program.

The Texas Education Agency approved and accepted Killeen ISD’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designations, according to the district. 

The program was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June 2019 as part of House Bill 3 to provide a realistic pathway for top teachers to earn six-figure salaries and to help attract and retain highly effective teachers in high-needs areas, according to the district.

Of the 306 Killeen ISD teachers that qualified, 24 will be nominated for a Master Designation, 122 for an Exemplary Designation, and 160 for a Recognized Designation. Fifty-seven teachers are also estimated to receive an extra $12,000 in their paychecks as a result of the new program.

Once a teacher achieves a TIA designation, the district says, the teacher will receive a cash award annually for five consecutive years. 

Each designation is awarded as follows:

Master Designation awards allotment between $12,000- $32,000

Exemplary Designation awards allotment between $6,000- $18,000

Recognized Designation awards allotment between $3,000- $9,000

In a letter to the district, Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath congratulated teachers for reaching this milestone:

 “Congratulations on meeting this crucial milestone as your district takes important steps to recognize and reward teachers for their outstanding performance for students in the classroom as you work to support and retain your most effective teachers,” he said.

Killeen ISD teachers will receive 90 percent of the allotment awarded to them and the school receives the remaining ten percent to be used for professional development or distributed amongst teacher teams, based on student performance. 

The district says it will continue to collect data this year in hopes of raising and extending designations across the district. TEA will send an official notification to teachers earning a designation on May 26.

For now, Killeen ISD Superintendent Dr. John Craft and the rest of the district commend their hardworking teacher. Craft says the district is excited about what the future holds for the district and its students.

 “I commend the hard work of the Teacher Incentive Allotment Steering Committee and district administrators who designed our local designation system and worked to ensure it was equitable for all qualifying educators. We are excited to provide this incentive to help our campuses improve student achievement going forward,” he said.

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