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Stakeholder Presentation
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Click here for Video |
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The DATE Stakeholder
Meeting was videotaped and placed on the web for the benefit
of anyone who was unable to attend any of the January or
February meetings.
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Video |
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What is DATE?
 A
state incentive program for school districts, named the District
Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE), has been created by the Texas
Legislature and funded with $147.5 million. The aim of the program
is to increase teacher performance and student achievement.
DATE
is a non-competitive grant, which means that any school district who
successfully completes the application process will receive funds, based
on the district’s average daily attendance. At least 60% of the funds
(Part 1) must go to reward teachers who demonstrate student achievement
in their classrooms. The remaining 40% (Part 2) may be used for other
staff, stipends, or other allowable activities. Irving ISD has been
awarded a total of $1,498,103.80 to fund both Part 1 and Part 2.
The
district plan must be developed by a
district-level planning committee. In
Irving ISD, the District Improvement Committee (DIC) Chairs appointed a
district-level planning committee that will present a recommended plan
to the entire DIC. The Committee will have hosted five
Stakeholder Meetings across the district to
get input. Once approved by the DIC, the final plan will be presented
to the IISD Board of Trustees for approval, tentatively scheduled for
March 10, 2008.
The
DATE Committee has worked many hours over the past several months to
create a fair and equitable incentive plan that
meets
the state’s rules. Every
eligible teacher in Part 1, for example, must be guaranteed at least
$1000 if they meet the qualifications. With 2200 teachers in Irving
ISD, not all could be guaranteed $1000 out of the total funding of
$1,498,103.80; therefore, the Committee has proposed using 67% of the
total funds ($1,000,000) to fund elementary teachers of record in the
TAKS assessed grade levels, and secondary teachers of record in the
subject areas tested by TAKS. To qualify, each eligible teacher’s
campus must meet the minimum student achievement standards outlined in
the plan. While this guarantees each teacher $1011 if all were
qualified, applying the criteria to the 2006-2007 data indicates that
the payout would have been $5208 for each qualifying teacher.
The
Part 2 funds have fewer guidelines, so the Committee’s proposal is to
allocate the majority of the remaining funds to certified professional
employees that work on a campus with a rating of Recognized or
Exemplary. Again, using 2006-2007 data, each qualifying employee would
have earned an award of $1763. In the current plan, other stipends are
set aside for teachers on two campuses that are not awarded a rating,
Wheeler Center and the Secondary Reassignment Center, and to compensate
DATE Committee members for their time.
Attached is a detailed version of the DATE Plan,
as proposed by the DATE Committee, a
graphic version of the DATE Plan, and a
Question & Answer document to address the
most common issues. Also attached is a listing of
Stakeholder Meetings where employees may hear
a presentation on the proposed plan and ask questions in person. This
information is also posted on the IISD Website with an additional
opportunity to provide feedback. |
