Duncanville ISD board adopts Teacher Incentive Allotment funding plan

Duncanville Independent School District trustees voted unanimously to adopt the district’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) funding plan and to move forward with an application for cohort G of the state program.

The board heard a detailed presentation from district leaders explaining that the TIA is intended to recruit and retain teachers in high‑need areas. Doctor Halaschka and Doctor Jordan said the district would identify eligible teachers as full‑time classroom teachers with a valid Texas certification who are the teacher of record for at least 90 days and who teach at least 50% of the day in academic courses. Doctor Jordan said designation scoring will be weighted 70% to student growth (using NWEA MAP data) and 30% to teacher evaluations under the T‑TESS rubric, with classroom instruction and learning environment emphasized.

Kathleen Brown outlined the spending plan required by law: 70% of funds generated by a designated teacher will go to that teacher at the campus level, 20% will go to noneligible teachers on the same campus, and the district may retain up to 10% for program support, training and rollout. Brown said the district estimates designation values will vary by campus socioeconomic measures and provided a range for Duncanville designation averages of roughly $5,725 to $21,082, recalculated each year by the state. She also said stipend payments would be TRS‑eligible and split across two summer checks (30% in June, 70% in August) to support retention.

Board members asked questions about eligibility for part‑time and co‑teaching assignments, the district’s phased rollout across grade levels and subjects, and how national board certification fits into the pathway. Staff said the district will phase in teachers over multiple years, beginning data collection in 2024–25 if accepted, and that national board‑certified teachers will be treated as "recognized" under the plan. Trustees requested follow‑up details on teacher groups eligible in each phase and how the district will calibrate evaluators; staff said evaluator calibration and training are required parts of the rollout.

The motion to approve the district’s TIA funding plan and comply with state spending requirements passed 6–0. The application deadline to the Texas Education Agency was stated as April 15.