Texas Center for Arts + Academics (TCA+A) honors educators who earned Teacher Designations and Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Aug. 29, 2024) – Five exceptional educators are recognized for their outstanding teaching and are allotted annual incentives to sustain their efforts over a period of five years.
Four teachers from Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA) and one teacher from Texas School of the Arts (TeSA) generated approximately $35,000 through the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). These teachers now have this TIA designation added to their state teacher certification and will receive the incentive payout for five years.
FWAFA: Ryan Wiggins – (Master Teacher Designation); Emily Brown – (Exemplary Teacher Designation); Abbey Reinhart – (Recognized Teacher Designation); Tiffany Lancaster – (Recognized Teacher Designation)
TeSA: Megan Roden – (Master Teacher Designation)
“I’m so grateful for my 3rd graders from the 22-23 school year for working hard with me while we learned a new curriculum! I’m very excited!” – Ryan Wiggins
TIA was established with the goal of providing outstanding teachers an accessible pathway to a six-figure salary by the Texas Legislature in 2019 as a part of House Bill 3. Unlike previous education programs, Teacher Incentive Allotment is not a grant. Through approved local designation systems, districts can identify and designate outstanding teachers based on student growth and classroom observation. Employing designated teachers generates extra funding for districts to reward top performers.
FWAFA and TeSA began planning to create their district-level TIA plans during the 2021-2022 school year under former Chief Academic Officer/Deputy Superintendent and now CEO/President & Superintendent, Dr. Anika Perkins. Both plans were fully accepted and the first year of data collection happened in 2022-2023 with the first payout occurring this August.
“I am elated we had an opportunity to bring this incentive program to our school districts. We have some amazing teachers who provide great value to our students’ educational journeys every day.”- Dr. Anika Perkins
TCA+A will continue its collaboration with TIA to identify and honor additional deserving educators. Recognizing those who make a significant impact on our children remains a top priority.
ABOUT TEXAS CENTER FOR ARTS + ACADEMICS
Texas Center for Arts + Academics (TCA+A) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to inspire and empower students with a lifelong passion for learning, academic achievement, and artistic excellence. TCA+A manages two charter schools, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts and Texas School of the Arts, three premier choirs, and after-school conservatory programs that provide a vast array of professional training in Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Art. TCA+A is located in the creative hub of Fort Worth, Texas with more than 1,000 youth enrolled in its schools, conservatories, and summer programs annually. To help make our student programs the best they can be for all students, please consider a donation at artsacademics.org.
MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Flor D. Cabrera | Director of Marketing and Communications | Texas Center for Arts + Academics flor.cabrera@artsacademics.org | 817.766.2390 (ext113)