LONGVIEW, Texas — Teachers at Longview ISD were rewarded at today’s convocation. Not only for their growth, but for the growth of their students as well.
The sounds of drums welcomed staff and teachers from across Longview ISD including a special group of teachers who were awarded a total of 1.8 million dollars from the Teacher Incentive Allotment.
"Our students showed that they made more than a years growth and that was done through a lot of hard work and hands on with the students," said Yolanda Juarez, second grade bilingual teacher.
157 teachers were awarded with this bonus. To qualify teachers had to reach a certain threshold between teacher evaluations and student growth. Throughout the convocation names were read and names kept being read!
"We appreciate our teachers, we want to keep our teachers, we want to reward good teaching and the winners are our students. They are the winners," said John York, Human Resources Officer for Longview ISD.
This is Longview ISD’s third year giving out these bonuses, which come from state funding. It was one of the first school districts in the state to receive this incentive funding. The awarded teachers will continue to receive the money for the next five years.
"The goal is to provide a realistic pathway for teachers to earn $100,000 plus on a 10 month contract," York said. "We want to keep our best teachers in the classroom at our most challenging campuses."
And this small recognition is part of a larger effort Longview ISD has been working towards. Just before convocation, superintendent James Wilcox surprised everyone in attendance that they were finally an “A” rated district.
"We had no campus with less than a 'B.' Out of our 15 campuses every campus was a 'B' or an 'A,' The overall score for the district is an 'A' and I say go Lobos," said James Wilcox, Superintendent for Longview ISD
Teachers here are having a little fun before the year starts and are excited to meet their new kids.
"It makes the year go by fast and having fun with them and learning a lot," Juarez said.
The first day of school for Longview ISD is this upcoming Monday, Aug. 15.