Since 2019, Frisco ISD has worked on gaining additional funding for teachers in hopes of increasing salaries and keeping effective educators on campuses through the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), a program established with the goal of providing teachers an accessible pathway to a six figure salary. 

FISD’s application for phase one of TIA has been approved by the state, which means certain FISD teachers will receive a base stipend within the range of $2,700 to $14,000. In order to be eligible, teachers must be identified as top-performing teachers as per the standards provided by the TEA.

The amount provided by the stipend depends on the designation level of the teacher, which can be Recognized, Exemplary or Master on their SBEC certificate, and several additional indicators. 

For principal Stacey Whaling, the district’s overall success and student achievement can be attributed to the high quality of educators.

“I feel like we’re really focused on the right things and when we’re hiring and so our retention and recruitment of great educators is actually much higher than in other places,” Whaling said in a previous interview with Wingspan. “So I think because, you know, we keep the best of the best and we’re able to recruit the best of the best it only makes sense that our students reap the benefits of that.”

The teachers included in Phase 1 are teachers of 4-8 Math and Reading, Algebra 1 and English 2, and these were selected because the state assessment has built in progress measures. Phase 2 includes additional core areas and others, but teachers will only learn if FISD’s system has been approved in spring of 2025.

“I am incredibly proud of the designated teachers and know they are more than deserving of the state-funded stipend,” FISD Superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip said in a statement. “The District will continue to work hard supporting teachers in the upcoming phases in the hope that more will benefit in the near future.”