Governor's office announces $750 million in Teacher Incentive Allotment awards
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that more than $750 million in Teacher Incentive Allotment funds have been awarded to more than 65,000 Texas teachers across more than 800 school systems. These funds, administered by the Texas Education Agency, bring total TIA awards to more than $1.8 billion since its inception.
“Texas is blessed with teachers who have educated and inspired students for generations,” said Governor Abbott. “These incentive funds ensure that the best teachers are recognized for their efforts to improve the lives of their students. As we empower teachers to succeed, Texas will remain on the path to be the No. 1 state for education in the country.”
In its last rankings, U.S. News & World Report placed Texas as 29th overall for pre-K through 12th grade education.
To date, five of Ellis County’s 10 ISD have been approved and are in the program: Ferris, Maypearl, Midlothian, Palmer, and Waxahachie. Two more ISDs have had their applications accepted: Milford and Red Oak. Three ISDs are not showing involvement at this time: Avalon, Ennis, and Italy, according to a Texas Education Agency spreadsheet.
Three of the four charter schools with a presence in Ellis County are in the program: Life School, Trinity Charter School, and International Leadership of Texas. The fourth school has had its application accepted: Faith Family Academy.
In a media release, the governor’s office said that “TIA was built to keep Texas’ most effective educators in the classroom and expand access to strong instruction, creating a clear path to significantly higher pay, including six-figure salaries.”
The office cited new research out of Texas Tech University as describing the TIA as “delivering.”
According to that research, teacher retention increases after TIA implementation, and by years three and four, school systems retain top-performing teachers at meaningfully higher rates, resulting in about a 20% increase in teacher retention for districts’ most effective teachers and overall stronger retention across-the-board. The research also shows these systems are accurately identifying strong teaching, as reflected in student outcomes. School systems see about one-third of a year of growth in math and reading, showing that TIA’s impact grows over time as local designation systems mature, according to the research.
“Teachers are the single most important in-school factor that affects student outcomes,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. ‘By rewarding our most effective teachers with pathways to stay where they’re needed most, students ultimately reap the reward. I’m grateful for the strategic investments made by the legislature to support TIA and for the commitment districts are making to support their staff.”
During the 2025-26 school year, 809 school systems participated in TIA, with participation expected to grow to more than 1,000 systems this fall.
For more information and the list of participating districts, visit Participating and Aspiring Districts - Teacher Incentive Allotment or click the Excel sheet below.
