Zooming in
“[This recommendation] is not at the expense of the teachers who remain loyal to us because they'll still have the ability to earn a significant amount of funds," SISD Chief Financial Officer Ann Westbrooks said. "The difference ... is that we're doing it on Texas Education Agency's dollar and not on SISD's dollar."
In June 2019, SISD’s board of trustees voted to commit $5 million from the district’s fund balance to the district’s Spring Rewards teacher incentive program, Westbrooks said.
Also in 2019, during the 86th legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3, which created the Teacher Incentive Allotment. According to the program’s website, this program allows successful teachers to earn extra money based on criteria set by their school district.
“This new model creates a path for outstanding teachers to earn a six-figure salary, thus reducing the desire for highly effective teachers to leave the classroom,” the program website reads.
SISD teachers earned a total of $4.5 million in bonuses through the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program this year, with the highest-earning teacher garnering $29,000 and multiple teachers earning more than $20,000, Westbrooks said on Oct. 5.
The context
In June, trustees voted to fill a projected $25.4 million funding gap in SISD’s general fund for the fiscal year 2023-24 budget using federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund monies. With declining enrollment, low average daily attendance and the budget deficit, SISD “cannot afford” to continue to commit $5 million annually to the Spring Rewards program, Westbrooks said Oct. 5.
What they're saying
Multiple trustees raised concerns about the district’s recommendation at the Oct. 5 meeting.
“Among my concerns about this particular action is, I always thought of the Spring Rewards as a comparative or competitive advantage with the districts that surround us,” board Vice President Winford Adams Jr. said.
“I know we're at a spending cliff with ESSER; I get where we are. But impacting opportunities for teachers to be [incentivized] is not what I want to do,” board President Justine Durant said. “I'm not comfortable with moving forward with removing [those] committed funds.”
Trustee Deborah Jensen pointed out that teachers can already earn large sums through the new TIA program. She also said teachers being given “more of a say in things that matter to them around their school” could be an effective incentive.
“I feel like the House made a miracle here [with TIA] that they're going to pay what we were going to go into debt over,” Jensen said.
Stay tuned
No action was taken on the discussed item on Oct. 5. Durant requested that data on the employees who qualify for the Spring Rewards program versus the TIA program be brought to trustees at a future meeting.
