Spring ISD trustees expand 2022 teacher incentive package by $238.5K

On Feb. 14, Spring ISD trustees unanimously voted to amend the 2022 teacher incentive package by an estimated $238,500, so more teachers will receive the bonus before the 2022-23 school year is over, according to district leaders.

This bonus is anticipated to impact 50 SISD teachers, said Christian Winn, who serves as SISD’s executive director of performance management, on Feb. 9. These teachers were initially excluded from SISD’s 2022 teacher effectiveness incentive bonuses, which were approved in May.

Before trustees voted unanimously to approve the update, Yolanda Merritt, Spring American Federation of Teachers leader, spoke in favor of the proposal during the Feb. 14 meeting.

“By approving this resolution, you are renewing hope within our teaching community,” Merritt said. “You are renewing hope that our hard work and long hours preparing our students for the [State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness] test was not done in vain.”

SISD’s proposal was initially presented to trustees Feb. 9 during a board workshop. The bonus will be paid to teachers who now qualify in March, Winn said.

“We believe this strategy directly supports our commitment to recruit, retain and reward top talent and exemplary efforts in our district,” Winn said.

Before the Feb. 14 update, the district’s teacher effectiveness incentive bonuses were paid to 366 teachers and totaled $1.5 million, Winn said. The update will award bonuses to science and social studies teachers as well as other teachers who teach various STAAR exams—regardless of class size—who meet the student performance requirements, Winn said.

SISD’s initial retention incentive package—originally approved in May—awarded about $7.8 million in bonuses to teachers in the 2022-23 school year, Winn said. This package also awarded teachers two additional days off to be taken at their discretion.