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Are there situations in which an eligible teacher might not get a full award?

There are two major reasons why eligible teachers might not receive the full amount of the available award.

First, TEA seems to be strongly recommending, if not requiring, that campuses assign weights to all the different criteria and identify different performance levels within each criteria. This is an issue because the weight and performance levels given to each criteria will determine the amount of the award tied to that criteria, and eligible teachers could receive different award amounts depending on the criteria met. However, TEA states that it is acceptable to use only one performance level for each criteria.

Second, an eligible teacher might not receive a full award since the law states that, “To the extent practicable, the campus shall pay a classroom teacher an incentive payment in an amount of not less than $3,000 and not more than $10,000.” The language was written this way, in part, to allow for paying teachers less than $3,000 if more teachers were eligible than funds available to pay them. However, some are concerned that, between this language, and the TEA concept of “weighing” criteria, campuses will use this as an excuse not to pay teachers at least $3,000. If awards fall outside the range, TEA requires applicants to explain why it is not practicable to pay within range. TEA also specifies that if all teachers do not meet the criteria, any leftover money should be used to increase incentives to those teachers who did qualify. How these funds will be distributed should be specified in the application.

Can all staff members receive an award?

It is possible for all staff members to receive an award since student performance measures must allow teachers to be evaluated at either the individual or team level. While campus performance ratings may be used as one measure of student performance, they must be combined, for every teacher participating in the Part I plan, with a team or individual measure. Teams may be grade level teams, departments, interdisciplinary teams, vertical teams or other teacher groupings that are used on the campus. If a campus opts to evaluate teachers in teams, they must describe the team structure in the application narrative.

What about teachers no longer on campus?

In order to motivate teachers to remain on the campus, TEA allows campuses to withhold awards from teachers who meet performance objectives but leave the school at the end of the school year. This stipulation must be clearly specified in the program narrative of the application and included in the public presentation of the plan. Applicants should consult with local legal counsel to develop appropriate requirements.

Campuses also may choose to specify separate awards for returning teachers under the optional teacher initiative and commitment criterion in Part I. This award would be provided to teachers who meet the required performance criteria in Part I and also return to the campus the following year. Teachers who meet required criteria but do not return would receive the awards for meeting those criteria, but not the retention award.

For the 2006-07 cycle of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant program, campuses are allowed, at their discretion, to provide Part I incentives to the following teachers if they have met the criteria laid out in the campus incentive plan:

  • Teachers who transferred from an eligible campus to an ineligible campus for 2006-07; these teachers must have been employed on the eligible campus in 2005-06 and/or 2004-05.
  • Teachers who retire at the end of the 2006-07 school year; those who retired before the 2006-07 school year began may not be included.
  • Teachers who retire mid-year.
  • Teachers assigned to an eligible campus for any amount of time, even if they teach at both an eligible and an ineligible campus.
  • Teachers assigned to two eligible campuses. (These campuses would decide how to award the teacher with the grant funds. It is permissible for teachers assigned to two eligible campuses to receive awards from both campuses, provided they meet all award criteria at each campus.)

Campuses/districts may choose to exclude teachers from Part I incentive awards. If a campus does exclude teachers, the campus/district should consult local counsel to develop appropriate requirements.

Does the district need to pay into the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) for awards to campus personnel?

Districts are not required to pay into TRS for incentive awards provided under this program. Please contact your local TRS point-of-contact or district personnel office for specific guidance if you choose to pay into TRS.

 

The Classroom Teacher, Winter 2006

Archive of other TCTA Publications

THE CLASSROOM TEACHER (ISSN-0279-2494) is the official publication of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA), providing news and opinions in the interest of education excellence. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the publisher’s permission. The views and opinions contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright © 2006. Publication schedule is quarterly. Annual membership dues for TCTA are $110, $5 of which is allocated to a one-year subscription to THE CLASSROOM TEACHER. Subscriptions for nonmembers are available for $10 per year.