Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Pilot program dispenses more than $3.2 million on bonus payments to Dallas ISD staff members
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Approximately 1,250 staff members in the Dallas Independent School District received cash awards in their paycheck today, some as much as $10,000 apiece, courtesy of a pilot program to reward effectiveness in the classroom. All totaled, Dallas ISD staff members split more than $3.2 million. The awards ranged from $625 to $10,000.
“These dedicated individuals deserve these awards for the many academic improvements that are taking place in Dallas ISD,” said Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa. “When this grant is implemented districtwide this school year, expect even more teachers and support staff to receive these significant financial awards.”
Fifty-nine district campuses were selected to participate in the initial pilot project of a $22 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant provided by the U. S. Department of Education. Schools that were chosen to participate were the campuses with the most academic challenges, according to performance the previous year on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. Sixty-four professional employees at South Oak Cliff High School received a total of $214,000, the most in the district. 32 support employees at South Oak Cliff, including administrative assistants, custodians and food service staff, received awards of $750 apiece, bringing the total additional compensation for staff at the school to $238,000, the most of any campus in Dallas ISD. Ten teachers at Jimmie Tyler Brashear will have an especially happy holiday season as they received the maximum award of $10,000 apiece. All totaled, 18 teachers from 4 different schools received the $10,000 award.
The awards are based on the district’s Classroom Effectiveness Index (CEI) or School Effectiveness Index (SEI) percentiles. CEIs measure the annual performance of students against other classes with similar socioeconomic backgrounds and previous academic results. Individual core teachers could earn between $2,000 and $8,000 based on CEIs. All other teachers and professional staff could earn between $1,250 and $2,000 based on the school’s SEI percentile. Campus support staff at the pilot campuses were eligible to receive between $625 and $1,000 based on the school’s SEI.
Teachers at the 59 pilot schools were required to opt-in in order to be eligible to receive the awards. The Teacher Incentive Fund grant will go into effect in all district schools during the current school year with bonuses to be awarded in December 2009.
Source: DISD
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Comments
John McClelland Verified
Not that teachers don't deserve bonus money, but how does the ISD justify giving out bonus checks when they just laid people off and are pleading poverty?
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
Methinks grant money raised to award effective teachers supercedes salaries of ineffective ones.
Should be noted they likely won't be as effective if they take on 50% more kids due to lay-offs, but I'm trying to stay objective here. =p
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
John, I agree it's about the most distasteful thing I've ever heard of, (except for how disgustingly cheap a data ScoDo can be) and I also know that you know it's a guvm'nt grant so the money will not be commingled (mixed up).
As I am of the decided opinion that Dr. H's next limo ride should be atop a tar-covered rail to the outskirts of town, I'd hate for people to spend good steam on that misunderstanding.
It would be interesting to research the grant evaluation conditions and see how critical financial solvency and responsibility was in the selection criteria.
On the up side, a teacher or two might get a nice holiday. If as I suspect they are all H's cronies, I say burn the place down.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
J-Rizzle; please. $40 a pop for theater tickets ain't cheap, sir.
In fact, I doubt these ballin' teachers who just had 10 G's dropped in their paycheck would call it cheap.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
Yeah ScoDo - but low hangin' fruit and all that ;o)
Considering that place just cleared $16M for a new space and averages about $1M from Hotel/Motel taxes just to produce each year, you'd think each seat came with a valet. (and yes, I'm bitter. That should be friggin' obvious)
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
luniz Anonymous
So you don't think teachers should get bonuses for good performance?
This exact concept was discussed on the Dianne Rehm show this morning. If it's the same as the program Washington DC uses, you give up the rights to tenure to take part in a program like this. I doubt that Hinojosa is going to hand out $3mil worth of bonuses to friends he selected himself.
And the district never pleaded poverty. They simply "spent" more money than they had due to bad accounting.
As the article says, the prizes were awarded based on classroom performance. Has nothing to do with the financial mistakes the district made.
Next time, instead of picking on teachers who are doing good jobs, read the damn article.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
Yeah, loonz, tell 'em! You forgot to blast 'em all by reminding people the source of this money was the DoE not internal discretionary funds.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Doyle Verified
luniz, seems quite a few peeps are "simply" spending more money than they have...hence this bailout of the everything (individuals, corporations, soon to be our own gubmint via other gubmints). It's not exactly something you take lightly these days.
Regardless, I'm all for the grant bonuses just the same - keep good teachers happy.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
::blast 'em all - source...DoE
As reading comprehension goes, there's only one post not citing that specific.... oh, and the ones thrashing ScoDo as as cheapskate date. (Which, heaven willing, may be the last vestige of natural selection that we can count on.)
::read the damn article.
So read the comments, too ;o)
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
More indiscriminate blasting from loonz in order over here. Additional serving of cutesy punctuation good, too.
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
Comes with the territory. It's like the tradition of starting a blazing evisceration of someone with "Bless his/her heart, I love 'em to death, but..."
10 months, 4 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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