Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Southwest ISD outlines strategic compensation plan and Lasso grant use to boost recruitment and retention
Summary
District leaders described a multi-year strategic compensation plan that would move from a step-and-lane pay system to effectiveness-based pay bands for principals and later teachers, detailed a $100,000 planning grant and a $1.1 million Lasso grant for paid residencies and mentoring, and asked the board to approve a vendor (NIT) to implement Lasso-funded supports.
District leaders presented a strategic compensation plan intended to shift Southwest ISD from a traditional step-and-lane pay system to a performance- and effectiveness-based band system for principals first and teachers later.
A staff presenter said the district received a planning grant of $100,000 to support initial implementation work. The presentation described a theory of action: prioritize differentiated pay tied to evidence-based evaluations, align district and TIA funds, direct resources toward high-need campuses and extend support to more students and educators. Staff said full implementation for principals and teachers is targeted for the 2027–28 school year.
On principal pay, staff described six effectiveness bands from unsatisfactory to mastery and noted the focus areas and point allocations would vary by campus type (elementary, middle, high) and by campus accountability status (A–C versus D–F). The presentation said principal compensation under the model could range up to roughly $125,000 at some campuses and as high as $150,000 at certain high-school levels in top effectiveness bands.
Recruitment and retention supports: division staff (Miss Barson) described a goal to increase observation/clinical resident teachers from 42 to 60 (a 40% increase) for 2025–26, partnerships with universities and Region 20, paid residencies funded by a $1.1 million Lasso grant, and mentoring/mentee programs funded through grants. Miss Barson said the district will convert some substitute roles into staff pathways and use paid residencies to increase retention.
Vendor and grant implementation: staff asked the board to approve the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIT) as the vendor to deliver services funded by the Lasso grant next school year. Separately, staff said they are developing teacher-focused components (student outcomes measures, culture and climate indicators) and will finalize teacher plans in May.
Why it matters: the plan ties compensation to school- and student-outcome measures and uses external grant funds to pilot paid residencies and mentoring that the district says will support hiring and retention in the near term.
Next steps: staff expect to finalize teacher measures in May, continue focus groups and small-group work, and bring implementation steps and recommended procurement to the board for approval of contracts and purchases funded through existing grants or district allocations.
