Castleberry ISD to pilot performance-based principal pay through state strategic compensation grant
Summary
Catherine Walker described a state-funded pilot tying principal pay to student outcomes, instructional leadership (TPAS) and campus environment; the district will implement a hold-harmless year and roll principal pay changes into 2027.
Catherine Walker, director of talent acquisition and development, presented Castleberry ISD’s plan to implement a principal-focused strategic compensation system funded in part by a Texas Education Agency grant.
Walker said Castleberry was among roughly a dozen districts selected to pilot the strategic compensation model that ties pay to three weighted categories: student outcomes (60%), instructional leadership (20%) and campus environment (20%). Student outcomes will use campus accountability ratings and student-growth measures; instructional leadership will use the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (TPESS), and the campus environment metric will include safety, attendance, teacher satisfaction and family engagement.
Walker displayed a sample scorecard showing how points map to an effectiveness level and then to salary bands. She said principals would receive a “what-if” scorecard using 2024–25 data so they can see how the system would affect pay. Walker emphasized the district will implement a hold-harmless year so principals whose computed effectiveness band falls below their current salary will not lose pay in the first year. After the pilot year, the district will use a two-year rolling average.
Board members asked about appeals or overrides for principals whose scores may be affected by turnover or other exogenous factors. Walker said the two-year rolling average will smooth out one-year swings and that any board-level override or policy change would be brought to a committee for discussion. Board members also asked whether assistant principals and other roles will be included; Walker said the principal plan is phase one and the district will explore additional roles and alignment with the teacher incentive allotment (TIA) in future years.
Walker and other administrators said stakeholder feedback informed adjustments made to the design. The plan aims to reward strong-performing principals and to retain instructional leaders; Walker said similar models have been used by larger Texas districts such as Dallas and Fort Worth.
Ending: The board received the update and engaged in questions; no vote was taken on the framework at this meeting.
