Lamar CISD applies for state teacher incentive program

All certified teachers, including new hires, are eligible for the TIA from the outset of their employment, Cottongame said. This initiative represents a significant step toward improving retention and incentivizing teachers within LCISD, Cottongame said. Staff who aren’t certified teachers, such as paraprofessionals, aren’t eligible.

“It's rewarding teachers for doing their job,” she said. “I know teachers in other districts that have earned this and it's life changing for them.”

The TIA system consists of a teacher observation coordinated by the district’s Teaching and Learning Department and a student growth component, including pre-and-post-test standardized test results. However, districts can also incorporate their own metrics, according to the TEA website.

A teacher maintains their designation for five years, and it can transfer with them if they move districts, Cottongame said.

LCISD’s TIA plan has to allocate 90% of the funds generated by designated teachers directly to them, with the remaining 10% retained at the district level to support the plan's implementation, Cottongame said.

What they’re saying

Some trustees pointed out that while the student-growth component is data-based, observing teachers could be subjective.

However, Cottongame said the district’s Teaching and Learning Department is working to calibrate the observation processes throughout the district, and teachers could request a second observation if they would like to appeal the outcome of their first observation.

“[Observations] can't be really easy at this campus and really hard at this campus,” Cottongame said. “The expectation is that we're calibrated across the district, and what we say is proficient is proficient across the district.”

By the numbers

The amount of a teacher's allotment is determined by the designation level and the percent of economically disadvantaged students at the campus, Cottongame said. Under the system the:

• Top 33% of teachers, known as “recognized,” will receive a $3,000-$9,000 pay bump annually
• Top 20% of teachers, or “exemplary,” will get $6,000-$18,000
• Top 5% of teachers, or “master” designation, will get $12,000-$32,000

The timeline

The first teachers eligible for designations teach subjects that already have tests before and after the completion of the course, such as the Measures of Academic Progress exam and the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, respectively, Cottongame said.

By the 2026-27 school year, district leaders will develop pre-tests for subjects that already have post-tests, Cottongame said. By 2027-28, the district will develop pre-and-post-tests to provide a metric for subjects without assessments.

Cottongame said teachers will be eligible for a pay-out based on the subject they taught on the following schedule:

• 2025-26: prekindergarten through eighth grade math and reading teachers, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, English I and English II
• 2026-27: remaining STAAR/end-of-course tested areas, advanced placement courses (excluding fine arts), special education
• 2027-28: Non-STAAR core content, career and technical education, and fine arts and electives

Currently, Humble, Klein, Spring and Tomball ISDs have fully-approved designations, according to the TIA website.

Meanwhile, Katy ISD has an accepted application and should receive pay-outs by August, according to the TIA timeline. Pearland, Conroe and Houston ISDs have also received acceptance to the system, according to the website.

What’s next

Cottongame said LCISD staff will be notified in August if the district is approved. After approval, LCISD will undergo the following steps to receive allocated money:

• October 2026: deadline for LCISD to submit pre-and-post-tests for evaluations to Texas Tech University
• April 2027: initial designations assigned
• September 2027: LCISD will receive initial pay-outs for allocations
• April 2030: deadline for renewal application