Amarillo ISD Celebrates More than 330 New TIA Designees
April 14, 2026 – More than 330 Amarillo ISD teachers earned new or improved designations under the Teacher Incentive Allotment, the state’s system for recruiting, rewarding and retaining top teachers. The latest round of designations brings the District’s total to more than 500 A+ Team Teachers.
This is the District’s third year of awarding Master, Exemplary or Recognized designations. AISD teachers are already the area’s highest-earning, and these designations come with additional salary compensation from the state.
The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), a provision of House Bill 3 that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in 2019, establishes a performance system to evaluate and compensate teachers. The TIA creates state-funded incentives to help school districts recruit, retain, and reward teachers by providing an accessible pathway to a six-figure salary without using local school district dollars. The TIA reserves specially designated state money for specially designated high-performing teachers.