Uplift Education was awarded to be in the first cohort of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program to provide state-funded incentive pay to high-performing teachers. Uplift anticipates 136 of their teachers receiving a state designation. TIA in addition to Uplift’s strategic compensation and internal bonus program will allow teachers to earn more faster within the Uplift network of schools. Uplift Education is proud to be in the first round of approved applicants who can run this program in our district and reward our highest performing teachers. House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in June of 2019, established the optional TIA program with a stated goal of a six-figure salary for teachers who prioritize teaching in high needs areas and rural district campuses.

Under the TIA plan, classroom teachers can earn either a Recognized, Exemplary, or Master designation based on several standards including Teacher Performance and Student Achievement. Uplift has decided to flow 90% of the allotment directly to the designated teacher. This means that individual Uplift teachers will earn between 2,700 and 28,800 additional dollars annually – providing some teachers six-figure total compensation for annual income. Most other districts are using the allotment money to fund existing strategic compensation structures. At Uplift, we are using the allotment to fund a new additional program that eligible teachers will have access to, that will be coupled with Uplift’s existing bonus program and annual salary increases.

“Attracting talent to the classroom and keeping teaching talent in the profession is critically important to our scholars and their academic gains. Between competitive base pay, our pre-existing bonus program, and now the ability to earn this designation, Uplift teachers have the opportunity to earn more faster. The ultimate priority is successful student outcomes, TIA accomplishes both for us at Uplift, Yasmin Bhatia, CEO of Uplift said.

Uplift chose to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) because we know retaining highly engaged and amazing teachers is what is best for our kids. We aim to ensure our teachers have the right support and are fairly compensated for the incredibly important work they do every day for our kids, community, and our city. We have always believed that teachers should be a highly valued profession and be compensated accordingly. These goals directly tie into our district's annual strategic plan – specifically the focus area of 'invest internally' and the goal of increasing teacher and staff retention.