May 7, 2024 – This Teacher Appreciation Week, 284 teachers in San Antonio ISD received notification that they were designated as Recognized, Exemplary, or Master as part of the Texas Education Agency’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). The newly designated teachers nearly double the number of designated teachers in SAISD classrooms. More than $6 million will be generated through the TIA for additional teacher compensation.  
 
With this designation, the teachers will receive stipends ranging from $3,900 to $25,100, based on their designation level and their school’s allotment from the TEA, which is based on campus demographics.
 
This year, the district is adding 135 Recognized Teachers, 106 Exemplary Teachers, and 43 Master Teachers to its rosters, bringing the total number of designated teachers in the district to 496 at 83 campuses.
 
The teachers received these new designations, or increases in their existing designations, as part of the district’s Master Teacher Initiative (MTI), which provides a framework to document their excellence in the following domains: Classroom Observations & Performance, Student Achievement, and Teacher Leadership & Collaboration.
 
TIA was created by the Texas Legislature in 2019 to provide highly effective teachers who want to stay in the classroom with a vertical career trajectory within the profession.
 
“Their passion is with kids, and it allows them to stay with their passion,” Tori Austin, Senior Executive Director of the Office of Continuous Improvement, said. “It allows them to be recognized and celebrated for the passion that they bring and the success that they bring to our students.”
 
SAISD is one of 176 school districts in the State of Texas with an approved local designation system. This group designated in 2023-2024 was the fourth cohort of SAISD teachers to be approved by the Texas Education Agency for the funding.
Fourteen of the designated teachers are at Lanier High School in the city’s West side.
 
“As a first-year principal at Lanier High School, one of my professional goals is to build the type of culture and climate where teachers joining our campus grow roots and genuinely become a part of our 78207 learning community,” Lanier principal Dr. Ricky Flores said.
 
Less than a mile away, De Zavala Elementary has 10 designated teachers on its rosters.
 
“Having 10 designated teachers at De Zavala Elementary creates a supportive and enriching environment that benefits both our educators and our students alike in creating lifelong learners,” principal Dr. Gloria Martinez said. “Having this many designations leads to an increased support for our teachers with a wider pool of expertise available to support in multiple grade levels implementing the best research-based instructional strategies.”
 
This cohort of designated teachers is the first group to be designated via the district’s MTI 3.0, which expanded eligibility beyond STAAR-testing content areas. The expanded system offers seven different pathways that also use evidence from MAP testing, APA (Academic Performance Assessments), Circle and Student Learning Objectives, meaning that nearly every district teacher has a pathway to become designated, including educators of the district’s youngest and oldest learners, as well as special education and elective teachers.
 
Of the 284 designees in 2023-2024, 183 of them come from the new and expanded categories, which now include a pathway for teachers in grades Pre-K through 2.
 
“Being able to recognize and retain excellent teachers of some of our youngest learners means we have a pipeline of students having the opportunity to engage with high-performing teachers,” Austin said.
 
At Pershing Elementary school on the city’s East side, there are now six designated instructors. Four of those came from the new categories – Pre-K, first and second grade teachers.
 
"It is important because it is attractive to future teachers,” Pershing principal Shelene Livas said. “This is a place where teachers are growing, learning and doing well, which means students are doing the same.”
 
One of those newly designated teachers at Pershing is Pre-K teacher Jill Ruiz, who has been teaching at Pershing for 22 years.                      
                                         
“I was excited to hear that the lower grades had the same opportunities as the STAAR testing grades,” Ruiz said. “This designation has reenergized me and motivated me to get as many PreK students as I can on grade-level entering kindergarten. I love seeing their growth throughout the school year and how excited they are when they have accomplished something new. It never gets old seeing students I’ve taught in previous years grow and mature from year to year and even graduate and find careers of their own.”
 
Designations are awarded for five years and are noted on the teacher’s State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) certificate, though the amount of funding designated teachers earn varies based on their designation level and the socioeconomic needs at a campus.