District awards more than $100,000 in Principal Incentive Allotments

For the second year in a row, Ector County ISD recognized five principals with significant awards through the Principal Incentive Allotment (PIA) program. The five recipients were announced during a leadership team meeting Wednesday morning. Three of the principals received a PIA check for $20,000 and two received a PIA check for $25,000. Principal Incentive Allotment awards are based on a combination of a school’s academic growth and the campus’s economically disadvantaged percentage. The awards handed out today are based on student data from the prior school, 2024-25. It is funded through a generous grant from the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP).  

“The Principal Incentive Allotment is one of the ways we are rewarding our most effective leaders,” said ECISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Keeley Boyer. “We know great principals create great school environments and have a positive impact on student achievement.”

Dr. Boyer added, “This is a tool we can use to recruit and keep our strongest school leaders and we are truly grateful to the PSP for making this possible in our district.”

“The Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding school leaders in Ector County ISD. Principals play a critical role in shaping school culture, strengthening instructional quality, and creating environments where teachers and students can thrive. Through incentive funding for high-performing principals, PSP recognizes exceptional leadership within ECISD, supports the retention of strong campus leaders, and reinforces the practices that drive sustained improvements in student outcomes across the district,” said Melissa Ware, PSP Director of Education and Workforce Development 

This year’s Principal Incentive Allotment recipients are:

• Sam Martinez, San Jacinto Elementary - Exemplary Tier 3

• Christan Pugh, Nimitz MS (her award is based on achievement data from Blanton Elementary where she was the principal last year) - Exemplary Tier 3

• Jennie Chavez, E.K. Downing Elementary (her award is based on achievement data from Noel Elementary where she was the principal last year) - Exemplary Tier 3

• Crystal Marquez, Sam Houston Elementary - Master Tier 3

• Raquel Rodriguez, Ross Elementary - Master Tier 3

Mrs. Chavez and Mrs. Rodriguez earned PIA awards last year, too. All five of this year’s recipients were quick to recognize the work of their campus teams to make this possible.

“It’s really just humbling,” said Crystal Marquez. “I can’t wait to share it with my staff, because behind it all is them and the hard work that they’ve been doing for the past several years.”

“It’s providing that support to your teachers,” said Jennie Chavez. “Making them feel like they can do this and not only by themselves but together. We are working together.”

“Each of these leaders prioritizes student learning,” said Dr. Boyer. “Setting high expectations and ensuring that the teachers and the students have the support they need to reach those expectations.”

ECISD’s Principal Incentive Allotment is modeled after the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) program that provides funding to pay highly effective teachers whose students show measurable improvement in academic growth. For PIA, students’ academic growth is based on the State’s STAAR assessment and ECISD’s MAP (Measure of Academic Performance). Early education centers use the CIRCLE assessment. The three levels of designation are Recognized, Exemplary, and Master which is the highest; the economically disadvantaged component is broken into three tiers with Tier 3 representing schools with the highest percentages. The top 15% of principals annually earn designations.