Teachers play a vital role in inspiring the next generation of Texas leaders. That’s why Governor Greg Abbott has made it a top priority to ensure that those exemplary educators making a profound investment in the future of the Lone Star State are rewarded properly.
2025 was a landmark year for education. Working with the Texas Legislature, Governor Abbott successfully delivered nearly $4 billion for permanent teacher pay raises, and made major enhancements to the merit-based pay program, Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).
Established in 2019, TIA’s goal is to help districts attract and retain Texas’ best and brightest educators by providing top-performers a pathway to a six-figure salary.
Here’s how it works. Through local teacher designation systems, districts have the power to identify outstanding teachers based on student growth, classroom observation, and optional local criteria. Participating school systems then designate “distinctions” to their highly effective teachers. Up until 2025, TIA designations fell into three groups: Recognized, Exemplary, and Master. Vital legislation enacted by Governor Abbott in the most recent legislative session established a brand-new designation — Acknowledged — an addition that will make even more teachers eligible for higher pay. Critically, the new law also increases the allotment amounts for teachers who have the existing Recognized, Exemplary, and Master designations. That means teachers who encourage our children to dream, dare, and do can earn as much as $36,000 a year on top of their base salary.
The amount of funding that is allotted to each district is determined by the teacher designation level as well as the socioeconomic needs and location of the school. These factors result in drastically increased payouts for high-needs and rural campuses. This formula helps incentivize effective teachers to remain in the classroom and prioritize the rural districts educating socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
New research from Texas Tech University demonstrates that the TIA program is making a meaningful impact in the classroom. Data shows teacher turnover declines after TIA implementation, and by years three and four, school systems retain top-performing teachers at higher rates, resulting in an approximately 20% increase in teacher retention. What’s more, student achievement noticeably improved; the longer the district has had TIA in place, the better students perform in reading and math.
More than two-thirds of school districts (809 out of Texas’ 1,207) are currently participating in TIA or are in the process of having their local designation system approved by the Texas Education Agency and Texas Tech University, the two entities guiding the integrity and execution of TIA. In June 2026, Governor Abbott announced that more than $750 million was awarded to over 65,000 designated Texas teachers during the 2025-26 school year alone. Since 2019, TIA has awarded nearly $2 billion to highly effective and impactful teachers across the state.
Governor Abbott remains focused on delivering a Texas of tomorrow that is even brighter than the Texas of today. With empowered parents, exemplary teachers, and exceptional academics, the Lone Star State is well on its way to that bold and better future that places Texas at the top when it comes to educating our children.