Forty teachers in Harmony Public Schools’ West Texas District will receive bonuses this year as part of the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Incentive Allotment, a special fund created to reward the state’s highest performing teachers. The recognition means that $266,000 in teacher bonuses will be paid this week to teachers in the West Texas District.
In total, 40 Harmony West Texas teachers will receive the bonuses this fall and again the next four years. Thirty-two teachers received the “Recognized” distinction, seven received the “Exemplary” distinction and one teacher received the “Master” designation and will earn the maximum allotment for their extraordinary efforts in helping boost student achievement, a news release said.
“We are honored to have some of the best and brightest educators in our classrooms shaping the minds of our students,” said Kamil Yilmaz, West Texas Area Superintendent. “We are thankful to the TEA for recognizing our teachers dedication and hard work.”
The Teacher Incentive Allotment was created by the Texas Legislature in 2019 as part of the state’s new education bill, known as HB3. The primary purpose of HB3 was to provide new funds for across-the-board pay raises for Texas teachers. Harmony used those funds as well as others for one of the state’s most comprehensive pay increases for its staff, including $3,000-$5,000 raises for each of its teachers in base pay, with additional dollars for working hard-to-staff subjects and for length of service, the release said.
Additionally, HB3 also created a separate funding pool – known as the Teacher Incentive Allotment – for the specific purpose of providing additional salary for teachers who demonstrated exceptional performance in hard-to-staff teaching positions, including low-income and rural communities.
Teachers selected can receive between $3,000-$32,000 per year for five years in added salary, directly from the TEA.
