Northside ISD begins distributing new state-funded incentives, aiming to attract educators amid a teacher shortage. But calls for fair, permanent raises persist.
SAN ANTONIO — It has been three years in the making, and starting this week, Northside Independent School District teachers are learning more about new incentive payments coming from the state.
Many school districts across San Antonio and Texas have already implemented the program, known as the Teacher Incentive Allotment, which is funded through a $290 million statewide initiative designed to reward teacher experience and performance.
Northside’s American Federation of Teachers president, Melina Espiritu-Acozar, told KENS 5 the incentive pay could help attract more educators to the district, but said it does not address what teachers say they need most: across-the-board salary increases.
Over the last two years, the Texas Education Agency has awarded districts across the state millions of dollars through the Teacher Incentive Allotment program. Now, the program has reached Northside ISD.
“Teacher shortage is a thing. We need to make sure we can bring teachers in, and it really did play into why the Teacher Incentive Allotment did need to occur in the district,” Espiritu-Acozar said.
She said the district has had the funding for some time, but only now is distributing it to eligible teachers. Under the program, qualifying educators can receive bonuses ranging from about $3,000 to as much as $28,000.
District officials told KENS 5 the Teacher Incentive Allotment required extensive planning to meet the state’s strict application standards, and leaders wanted to fully understand the program before scaling it across a district as large as Northside. They say moving forward with the allotment helps NISD remain competitive statewide and better recruit, support and retain educators.
However, Espiritu-Acozar said incentive pay is not a substitute for equitable, permanent raises.
“Incentive pay is never the way to go about equity pay for teachers across the district, city or state,” she said.
Initially, the incentive payments will go to about 1,200 teachers. Espiritu-Acozar said the district currently employs roughly 8,000 educators, while NISD reports that about 3,200 teachers are eligible for the program overall.
She added that, in her view, the responsibility ultimately falls on the state.
“The state of Texas has an obligation to ensure that public education is properly funded,” Espiritu-Acozar said. “Right now, they have not met that obligation.”