WINONA, Texas — Several Winona ISD teachers are on their way to a six-figure salary.
The district held an awards dinner Tuesday night to honor the educators for excelling.
Monica Beasley, Jackie Harris and Dana Thacker received the Texas Education Agency's Teacher Incentive Allotment.
The TIA was created through the Texas Legislature's House Bill 3 to give top-performing teachers a pathway to earn six-figure salaries. It's also meant to help attract and keep highly effective teachers at traditionally hard-to-staff schools, the TEA said on its website.
Dana Thacker is celebrating 35 years of teaching, 25 of those years at Winona ISD as a fifth-grade teacher.
"It's amazing. It's an honor to be recognized for all the hard work we put in and to work for such a great district," Thacker said.
According to Superintendent Damenion Miller, Winona ISD received an 89 TEA rating with 13 distinctions, the most in district history. Miller said it's all because of the teachers.
"You (the teachers) are truly our greatest asset today and tomorrow and we cannot accomplish anything without you," Miller said.
Monica Beasley, a middle school math teacher at Winona ISD, has been teaching for eight years. Beasley received the Exemplary award, an allotment between $6,000 to $18,000.
"This award means a lot," Beasley said. "It's the top 10 percent of the teachers in Texas."
Jackie Harris and Dana Thacker received the Master award, an allotment between $12,000 to $32,000.
For the Texas Education Agency, there's something so special about the teachers at Winona ISD.
"Every single educator in this room truly believes in kids, truly loves kids and truly knows that the only way out of poverty is education," said Carrie Alexander, student assessment official at the TEA.
This is the third year the district has participated in the TIA.