Teacher Incentive Allotment
House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June of 2019, established a Teacher Incentive Allotment with a stated goal of a six-figure salary for teachers who prioritize teaching in high needs areas and rural district campuses.
Districts have the option to locally develop or identify a system for designating high-performing teachers as Recognized, Exemplary, or Master. Districts that employ teachers with designations can receive up to $32,000 per year in TIA funding, per designated teacher, based on the campus’ economic need and/or rural status. Teachers with National Board Certification may be eligible to earn an automatic Recognized designation regardless of whether the district in which the teacher works is participating in TIA.
The University Academy Curriculum Team worked to develop performance rubrics for each designation with the help of focus groups, stakeholder input, and a TIA consultant. The 2021-2022 served as the pilot year to ensure data validation. The charter submitted our application to establish a locally developed system for designating high-performing teachers for Cohort E in Spring 2022. The application has been approved and 2022-2023 served as the data capture year, with our first submission due in Fall 2023. It was approved, and teacher designations were awarded in April of 2024. Teacher received payments in June 2024, with the district receiving the reimbursement funds in Fall 2024.