October 31, 2008 - Superintendent Pat Forgione today announced approximately $442,500 in payments to teachers and principals at seven highest-needs schools that are participating in AISD REACH, Austin’s Strategic Compensation Initiative, during the 2008-2009 school year.

“Today, we announce that seven principals and 440 teachers have received stipends totaling $442,500 this month,” said Superintendent Pat Forgione. “We are hoping these payouts will help us recruit and retain teachers and principals at these campuses, which have a large percentage of students with high needs. Research suggests that school stability and teacher experience are factors in the success of students at schools such as these.”  
 
The seven schools with educators receiving these payments are: Hart, Jordan, Rodriguez and Sims elementary schools; Dobie and Webb middle schools and Lanier High School. The payment amounts are $500 for those teachers with less than three years at their present campus, and $1,500 for those teachers with more than three years at these same campuses. The principals at these campuses will receive $1,500 regardless of their experience.  
 
“The School District considers these stipends to be investments in our teachers and principals,” said David Lussier, Director of AISD REACH. “We want to make our highest-needs pilot schools more competitive so that, in turn, the teachers and principals serving at these campuses will make the investment of their continued service to our students.”  
 
“As a former principal, I know how hard teachers and principals work to boost achievement at their schools,” said Sheila Anderson, who is in charge of Administrative Programs for AISD REACH. “These bonuses go a long way to show that the extra effort is appreciated and we hope it will help teachers at our pilots’ highest-needs schools stay committed to their campuses for many years to come.”  
 
“Our teachers are pleased that the Austin School District is demonstrating its commitment to quality teaching and learning by providing bonuses to teachers who meet high standards and are committed to working at our most challenging campuses,” said Louis Malfaro, president of Education Austin.  
 
Other key components of the AISD REACH Program, are a mentoring program with 13 full-time mentors working at the pilot’s seven highest-needs schools and preparing teachers for National Board Certification through the TAKE ONE!™ program.  
 
The first payout in July for the AISD REACH-Strategic Compensation pilot was for development of student learning objectives and novice teacher mentoring. The next round of payouts will be made in the next few months, and will be based on school-wide TAKS growth.  
 
PLEASE NOTE:  
These payments are only for seven highest-needs AISD REACH pilot schools, and should not be confused with an across-the-board salary increase that is dependent on the outcome of AISD’s Proposition 1 on the November 4th ballot.