HENDERSON, Texas (KETK) – Henderson ISD announced they’ve been approved by the Texas Education Agency to give pay incentives to certain teachers.

The Teacher Incentive Allotment was created in 2019 and will allow “high-performing” teachers to make up to six-figure salaries, according to a Henderson ISD press release.

Through Henderson ISD’s local evaluations or National Board Certification, teachers can now earn the following pay incentives based on their designation:

Recognized ($3,000-$9,000)
Exemplary ($6,000-$18,000)
Master ($12,000-$32,000)

Henderson ISD applied to the program in 2021 and was approved for the 2022-2023 allotment based on their 2021-2022 teacher accountability data, officials said. According to the district, they used a stakeholder committee to develop a system to evaluate teachers eligible for the incentive.

The committee’s standards were then evaluated by Texas Tech University to ensure their fairness, rigor and accuracy, according to the press release.

“At the end of the day, we want to ensure that we have the best teachers in the classroom,” Henderson ISD Superintendent Dr. Thurston Lamb said. “I’m glad that we are able to compensate our top teachers financially at a level that is comparable to high performing experts with similar experience and education who work in the private sector. Teachers deserve it, and I believe this program will have a major and long-lasting impact on our students right here in Henderson.”

The designations “Recognized”, “Exemplary” and “Master” are based on classroom observations and student growth, the district said. For now, the program is limited to core subjects where student growth is measured by national assessments.

Henderson ISD said that a “little less than half” of HISD teachers were eligible to have their data evaluated and the designations will be announced later in the spring.