PREMONT, Texas — Teachers in the Premont Independent School District could earn up to a $6,025 bonus paid out in July based on their student's performance and by signing a new contract.
"We feel very validated and we feel very appreciated that we were able to receive such an incentive that allows us to want to come back and try our hardest so we're very, very excited to be receiving that," Lissa Chilton, Premont ISD Educator said.
The school board approved of the bonus plan during Monday night's board meeting. Another part of the plan is a new requirement that school campuses achieve a minimum overall C rating on the Texas Education Agency's accountability system.
"Teachers that teach STAAR or end of course, you'll see test in the spring that their students perform at an adequate level, which is a C; they receive proficiency on their evaluation and they come back the following year those are the ones that are eligible for $6,000," Supterindentent Steve VanMatre said.
Teachers who aren't part of the STAAR testing can get up to $4,025.
"It's nice to work for a district that pays us for our efforts and they appreciate us," Sarah Trevino, Premont ISD Educator said.
District support staff can also receive a bonus of $1,500. But make no mistake, the biggest dollars are being offered to those who have their students STAAR ready.
"This initiative is targeted to increase accountability; accountability is manufactured by how well our kids perform on STAAR," VanMatre said.
One teacher told us the bonus plan is great, but his real reward is helping his students thrive during this pandemic.
"I am very excited for the monetary gift that Premont has given the teachers that's performance-based but I have to admit, as much as we focus on the extra pay, I really think we're having an impact in what we're doing here with the students it goes beyond monetary measures," Jaime Trevino, Premont ISD Educator said.
The district has set aside a quarter of a million dollars to pay for the bonus program.
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