Select teachers in New Braunfels ISD may be eligible for additional compensation through the state's Teacher Incentive Allotment, or TIA.
The TIA was established in 2019 through the passage of House Bill 3. It is a program designed to put teachers on a path to earning a six-figure salary, according to Community Impact reporting.
How it works
The TIA is a designation system that allows districts to identify “highly effective” teachers using single- or multiyear appraisal data to receive additional funding through the Foundation School Program, according to an April 13 NBISD board meeting presentation.
There are three levels of designation: recognized, exemplary and master. Each designation provides extra funding per designated teacher, which is based off of campus socioeconomic level, campus rural status and student growth.
The designations correspond to the following additional annual compensation:
- Recognized: $3,000-$9,000
- Exemplary: $6,000-$18,000
- Master: $12,000-$32,000
NBISD Chief Academic Officer Lani Norman said the TIA is not based on the number of students mastering a grade level or subject, but about how a student scored at the beginning of the year and how they grew that score by the end of the year.
“TIA is measuring individual student growth, not performance,” Norman said.
In the first year, 2nd-8th grade teachers that teach reading or math and high school level teachers that teach English I, English II or Algebra I will qualify for TIA, according to the April 13 meeting presentation.
A TIA Advisory Planning Committee of 46 members composed of faculty, teachers and staff from schools was formed in 2025, according to the presentation.
The discussion
Board Vice President Nancy York asked why the district chose math and English. Norman said State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, and end-of-course testing already exist as a valid and reliable growth measure, which will be able to show student academic growth.
Board Secretary Steve Minus said incentives are great if they are attainable and he was excited to see where the initiative goes.
Trustee Kim Goodwin asked if every teacher in the district would have the opportunity to receive additional compensation from the TIA.
Norman said part of the TIA Advisory Planning Committee’s task was to develop a phase-in plan for other eligible teachers.
Next steps
The district’s TIA committee will reconvene after summer break to develop and maintain a TIA Handbook that outlines processes, procedures and changes, according to the presentation.
The district applied to join the TIA in mid-April and anticipates receiving notification of application acceptance in August. Upon acceptance, the 2026-27 school year will be a data capture year for eligible teachers. In October 2027, the district will submit data for eligible teachers. In August 2028, teachers who earn a designation will receive their money from the TIA, according to the presentation.
“No district is immune to some of the issues facing public education, but also this is exciting for us,” Norman said.
