TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District recognized and rewarded exceptional teachers from across the district with the presentation of checks totaling nearly $900,000 dollars as part of the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) on Friday (August 23).
Temple ISD administrators presented TIA checks totaling $894,913 to 81 teachers across the district on Friday. Of those honored, 26 teachers received recognized designations, 48 achieved exemplary designations and seven teachers reached master designations. The teachers recognized this year were all part of TIA’s Cohort E, which includes all content areas. Last year, TISD awarded 50 teachers through the TIA as part of Cohort D, which only included reading and math teachers. The district is already collecting data to submit to the Texas Education Agency for recognition in next year’s TIA.
“Temple ISD believes in honoring and celebrating teachers, which is why the district did not hesitate to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment,” said Dr. Donna Ward, assistant superintendent of human resources for Temple schools. “As we go into our fourth year of data collection, we are pleased to share that 131 teachers have earned a designation over the last two years, equating to approximately $1.3 million in payments made to teachers. In October 2024, the district will submit even more teachers for a designation. That data is still under review, but we are confident we will be able to reward many more teachers with a TIA payment next August.”
The TIA was created by the Texas Legislature to provide a realistic pathway for top teachers to earn six-figure salaries and to help attract and retain highly effective teachers at traditionally hard-to-staff schools. Participating school districts develop and implement a local designation system that includes, at a minimum, a teacher observation and a student performance component. TISD’s system includes three levels of designation with master as the highest level. Those designations are good for five years and teachers can be submitted for a higher designation each year based on performance. Temple ISD is one of just 323 districts across the state of Texas to have a fully approved local designation system.
“Temple ISD is known as an innovative district, always looking for creative ways to celebrate and reward staff members for their commitment and excellence in service,” said Dr. Bobby Ott, superintendent of schools for Temple ISD. “I have no words to describe the emotion experienced today when delivering these checks. The highlight of the day was seeing students rally around teachers and teachers pass credit to their students. This represents a selfless environment grounded in service to others, which is indicative of our culture. Temple ISD is truly the right place, with the right people, and why we are looked at statewide as a district that does it the right way!”
See a full photo gallery from today’s presentations at the following link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBEwvu.