Teachers Can Earn Up to $32,000 More a Year!

Created by the Texas Legislature in 2019 as part of House Bill 3, the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) provides independent school districts (ISDs) and charter schools with the exciting opportunity to award qualifying teachers with significant salary increases.

The TIA is a program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that is designed to recognize and reward effective teaching and incentivize outstanding teachers to stay in the classroom.  This link (www.tiatexas.org) contains a wealth of information for school districts and charters interested in participating in this voluntary program. 

There are several factors that determine the allotment, but it can range from an additional $3,000 to $32,000 annually that high-performing teachers can earn for their districts. Additionally, the program is designed to give  districts discretion in the metrics used and how they design the program so that it can fit the specific needs of their district.

Enjoying steady growth since its inception, as of 2023 the TIA now has 13,774 qualifying teachers in 346 school districts being awarded a total of over $145 million through this program as of 2023.  Over the next year, growth is projected to be at $260 million in additional funding for qualifying teachers in participating districts and charters. 

Taking a closer look at school districts in Senate District 10, where I represent parts of 65 school districts and charters, 35% of traditional ISDs and 70% of charters are participating in the TIA program. 

This initiative has been successful at directing funds to high-performing teachers, and I hope more school districts will consider taking advantage of this great opportunity.  

If you are interested in seeing if your district is participating in this program, see the link HERE.

This was a critical investment that the legislature has made and will continue to make in order to appropriately reward our teachers. Just like in your own personal business, you want to compensate those employees who are effective and doing a great job. The TIA represents a free market approach applied to government. 

Did you know if the Texas public school system was a private corporation, it would be third largest in the nation? Applying this type of common sense incentive program to our public education system helps with recruitment, retention and most importantly thanking our public servants for one of the most important professions: educating our future leaders.