MCGREGOR, Texas (KXXV) — McGregor ISD is joining the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program to reward high-performing educators with bonuses of up to $20,000, aiming to boost teacher retention and student success.
- McGregor ISD has joined the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program, allowing eligible teachers to earn bonuses ranging from $6,000 to over $20,000 based on performance and student growth.
- The program initially targets reading and math teachers from Pre-K through 8th grade, as well as English I, English II, and Algebra at the high school level.
- District leaders believe TIA will help rural schools stay competitive, attract and retain quality educators, and ultimately improve student learning outcomes.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I think it's good for teachers because I think they've been underpaid for a long time,” said McGregor ISD Superintendent Dr. Travis Mutscher.
As students and staff across Central Texas head back to school, big changes are underway in the McGregor ISD — changes which could mean thousands of extra dollars for our local educators.
The district is officially in the Teacher Incentive Allotment, or TIA — a state program aimed at rewarding and retaining high-performing teachers.
25 News sat down with Logan Chaney, the Region 12 lead for TIA; he works directly with districts like McGregor to help implement the program.
"School districts have the option to create local designation systems and through their own metric system, they can designate teachers through the state for additional compensation that ranges from $3,000 to $32,000,” said Region 12 TIA lead Logan Chaney.
McGregor ISD Superintendent Dr. Travis Mutscher says the district will begin by focusing on teachers in reading and math from Pre-k through 8th grade, along with English I, English II, and algebra at the high school level.
"So what that looks like for a teacher in McGregor ISD is that you can make $6,000 at the lowest level and up to over $20,000 at the highest level,” said Mutscher.
Teacher performance is based on two main components: student growth and evaluations using the state-mandated T-tess system.
The program is something he believes has a great impact on rural communities.
"Traditionally, a rural school is paying $10,000 less than a larger district that might be right beside them. TIA really gives you a competitive advantage because rural schools and urban schools in the program get paid more than the suburban school districts,” said Mutscher.
McGregor ISD now joins other local districts such as Waco ISD and Belton ISD in the TIA program.
According to Region 12, 20 more districts have applied this year alone.
For Dr. Mutscher, the ultimate goal is to support both students and teachers — creating lasting change in the classroom.
"Our whole goal is that every student is learning every single day and I think this puts a focus on how do I become a better teacher and how do I ensure that my students are learning every single day,” said Mutscher.
Dr. Mutscher said the goal is to continue expanding the number of eligible teachers over the next three years.
