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Crowley ISD recognizes 63 teachers with state incentive designations, district eyes expansion
Summary
The Crowley ISD board celebrated 63 teachers who earned Teacher Incentive Allotment designations — a program created by the Texas Legislature to recruit, retain and reward effective teachers. District staff said the designations generated roughly $2.6 million in allotments and that the local program will expand to additional campuses.
Rebecca Barton, the district’s teacher incentive allotment coordinator, told the Crowley ISD board Wednesday that 63 teachers earned TIA designations this year, including 13 recognized, 32 exemplary and 18 master-level designations.
“The success of this initiative is a direct result of the collaborative efforts across multiple departments within our organization,” Barton said during a presentation that listed the newly designated educators by name and campus.
The Teacher Incentive Allotment, created under state law in February 2019 as part of House Bill 3, provides additional funding to districts that designate highly effective teachers. Barton said Crowley’s locally approved system earned 88 out of a possible 96 points in the Texas Education Agency’s review and scored perfect marks in two checks that validate the district’s designation components.
“This year, we are so pleased to celebrate a total of 63 newly designated teachers,” Barton said. The district reported the average allotment amounts as approximately $4,700 for a recognized designation, $9,500 for exemplary, and $17,800 for master.
Superintendent Michael McFarland said the district now counts about 122 teachers with TIA designations across phases 1–3 and that, with the current cohort, just over 11% of the district’s roughly 1,300 classroom teachers hold a designation.
Barton explained the two pathways to designation: national board certification or a locally approved system that uses teacher observation and student performance measures. Under state rules she cited, once a designation is awarded it remains on the teacher’s certificate for five years.
District staff framed the program as phased expansion. Phase 4 began this school year with the addition of Crowley College Prep; Phase 5 would begin in the 2025–26 school year if the district’s application is approved and would add Baylor Elementary, high school functional academics and eligible honors/AP courses. Barton said the district has generated approximately $2,600,000 in allotments over the program’s first three years.
Trustees praised the nominees and said the program supports recruitment and student growth. Trustee Nedra Robinson referenced research showing student gains when multiple effective teachers serve the same pupil, and Superintendent McFarland emphasized that the district is “glad that this program actually compensates teachers for what they’re worth.”
The board did not take formal action on the designation program during the meeting; staff said a formal application and expansion request will be submitted to the Texas Education Agency for approval where required.
The list of the 63 newly designated teachers was read into the record during the meeting and is included in the district’s posted materials.
