McKinney ISD outlines plan to apply for state Teacher Incentive Allotment, projects first payouts in 2028

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Alana Chisholm told the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees on March 23 that the district will pursue a phased application to participate in the state Teacher Incentive Allotment program.

"It was established in June 2019 by the 86th Texas Legislature through the passage of House Bill 3," Chisholm said, describing the allotment’s original purpose to recruit and retain highly effective teachers. She said recent state funding increases and a new "acknowledged" designation broaden eligibility so roughly 50% of submitted teachers statewide could receive a baseline distinction under the program.

Chisholm said the district can leverage existing evaluation systems and student pre/post assessments to reduce additional testing, and that the local application process requires a system review and a data submission to the Texas Education Agency and Texas Tech for validation. She outlined a multi-year timeline: if McKinney ISD’s Phase 1 application is approved in June, the district would collect observation and student-growth data through the 2026–27 school year, submit data in October 2027 for state validation, and—pending validation—teachers in Phase 1 would receive their first allotment payment in August 2028 (the state reimburses districts the following month).

Board members pressed staff on eligibility and operational impact. Chisholm said eligibility is tied to PEIMS coding (the state’s 087 code for classroom teachers who provide direct instruction more than 50% of the time) and that support staff who meet those criteria (for example, certain special education or bilingual teachers) could be included in Phase 1. She estimated the district will likely need about 1 full-time equivalent staff position to manage application, data collection and reporting during implementation, with a portion of future allotment funds usable to support that role.

Chisholm emphasized that the district does not determine final awards: "We submit the data; the state runs the validation and assigns the designation," she said. The board did not take action to finalize an application at the meeting; staff said work will continue with campus and department leaders and teachers as the district develops its local designation system and refines student-growth measures.

Ending: If the district pursues Phase 1 as described, affected teachers could receive a one-time annual payment beginning in August 2028; board follow-ups and additional public updates were promised as staff refines the application and metrics.