SAISD’s ACE initiative aims to boost student success by placing top teachers in challenging classrooms, offering significant financial benefits for exemplary work.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Independent School District announced the launch of its Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) initiative at three campuses, a program aimed at boosting student achievement by pairing top-performing teachers with students facing the greatest academic challenges.
The initiative will begin at Poe Middle School, Hot Wells Middle School, and Crockett Academy. District officials described the rollout as a significant step in recruiting and retaining highly effective educators, with compensation packages that can push annual earnings for top teachers beyond $100,000.
The ACE model is built on the premise that the most skilled educators should be placed in classrooms where students need the most support. District leaders said early versions of the model implemented elsewhere in Texas have shown promising results.
“The implementation of the ACE model in our schools will transform students’ academic trajectories by ensuring they achieve more than a year of growth annually, positioning them for sustained success as they transition into high school,” said Dr. Shawn Bird, the district’s deputy superintendent of teaching, learning and leadership.
To fund the initiative, the district is combining competitive base salaries with additional financial incentives, including a tiered stipend system and funding from Texas’ Teacher Incentive Allotment program.
Under the ACE framework, teachers can earn more than $50,000 in additional pay beyond their base salary through two primary components:
- ACE Strategic Stipends: Ranging from $16,000 to $22,000 depending on subject area.
- Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA): Additional stipends based on performance designations, with a maximum of $32,000 under the district’s plan.
The stipend structure is divided into four categories:
- $22,000 for STAAR-tested subjects
- $19,000 for non-STAAR core subjects
- $16,000 for non-tested subjects
- $16,000 for student support roles
District officials said the initiative also includes major changes to the school calendar and teacher support systems. Participating campuses will add 11 instructional days to the academic year to accelerate learning, alongside expanded professional development that includes daily planning time and data-driven coaching.
Applications for the 2026–2027 ACE cohort are now open, with district leaders encouraging eligible educators to apply through the district’s careers portal.