The Texas Education Agency’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ESSER III) Fund grant is positioning DeSoto ISD to compete for the best and brightest teachers across the metroplex and retain the district’s amazing returning educators.
In DeSoto ISD’s effort to develop, recruit and retain extraordinary people, the district will offer a series of stipends and incentives designed to more competitively attract and compensate teachers.
“COVID-19 changed our lives significantly. Working and educating kids from home was challenging for everyone,” said DeSoto ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. D’Andre Weaver. “As we embrace this new normal, and children and teachers return to schools, we’ve got some work to do to close gaps for students which is why DeSoto ISD is not only incentivizing high teacher performance by offering bonuses up to $29K on top of teacher base salaries to ensure the best teachers work with our students, we’re also increasing academic and instructional support by placing Interventionists, Master Teachers and instructional coaches on every campus to provide high-quality classroom support for students and staff alike.”
As a result of the TEA’s (ESSER III) grant funding, DeSoto ISD will provide one-time incentives which include:
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New & Returning Staff: $3,000
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Core and Master Teachers in High-Need Areas: $5,000
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District Alumni: $500
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Employee Referral Bonus: $350
Ongoing incentives under this additional grant support include:
Stipends for specified areas and advanced degrees include:
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PK-5th Grade Bilingual: $4,000
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7th-12th Grade Math, Science or ELAR: $1, 500
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Master’s Degree: $1,000
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Doctoral Degree: $2,000
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Foreign Languages: $4,000
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Pay-for-Performance: Up to $10,000
“Teaching is hard work,” said DeSoto ISD Chief of Human Resources Mia Stroy, “And that’s why DeSoto ISD has been so intentional about ensuring our teachers have the support they need to be the best they can be.”
Stroy said the district is creating a work environment that balances teachers’ needs and responsibilities.
“Not only will DeSoto ISD offer competitive salaries and bonuses which could offer up to $29K in incentive pay, but we also offer a significant healthcare benefit contribution to staff and access to free mental and emotional healthcare plus two mental health days per year,” said Stroy who added, “In DeSoto ISD, we understand our teachers are whole people with unique needs and we’re creating a system that ensures our teachers are at their personal best so our students can achieve theirs.”
In addition to the compensation incentives DeSoto ISD is offering teachers for the 2021-2022 school year, the district has also designed other benefits to staff which include:
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A monthly contribution of $351 to employee health insurance premiums
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No cost employee assistance program offering employee and family mental health care access
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No cost $10,000 life insurance policy
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Two mental health day per year for staff
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Non-resident student transfer for full-time staff’s children
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Free full-day PK-3 and PK-4 for staff children
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Additional Support for Teachers:
Highly successful and experienced educators are encouraged to visit the DeSoto ISD website and apply online at www.DeSotoISD.org/Employment for more information.