Teacher urges board to shelve new strategic compensation plan, citing poor communication and unclear ratings

Matthew Johns, a Midland ISD social-studies teacher, told the Midland ISD Board of Trustees during public comment that the district’s enhanced TIA (Teacher Incentive Allotment) strategic compensation plan has been communicated poorly and implemented inconsistently.

"I asked questions multiple times about how my TIA rating was actually calculated with the AP scores versus the pretest assessment. I never received the answers," Johns said, urging the board to "shelve" the new compensation process until administrators can "demonstrate basic TIA incentives and distinction with fidelity." Johns said some teachers finally earned merit pay but that many got no clear explanation of how ratings were determined or what pay to expect.

Johns criticized district communications and meeting frequency, saying his campus had only one TIA meeting and that administrators gave inconsistent guidance. He said some staff were told a June 18 deadline to opt in to the strategic compensation plan, creating pressure and confusion at the campus level.

The teacher also warned that tying pay to a complex evaluation process could chill reporting of student or staff concerns if employees fear salary penalties for raising issues. "This district is wholly unprepared to play games with people's livelihood," he said.

The board did not take action on TIA during this special meeting; Johns’ remarks were recorded during the public-comment period at the start of the session. The district’s presentation later in the meeting addressed separate compensation items and district finances but did not provide additional detail answering Johns’ specific questions about how individual TIA calculations were performed.

Johns’ full request was that the board delay further implementation of the strategic compensation program until the administration provides clearer rules and transparent calculation methods for teachers and campuses.