ECISD honors first-ever Principal Incentive Allotment recipients
PIA awards are based on a combination of a school’s academic growth and the campus’s economically disadvantaged percentage.
With a keen focus on recruiting, retaining, and rewarding staff members, Ector Count ISD opened a new talent development pipeline Wednesday morning, becoming one of the first school districts in Texas to implement a Principal Incentive Allotment (PIA) program that awards significant dollars to its most effective principals.
“Great leaders can push student achievement to new levels,” said ECISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Keeley Boyer. “That’s why we created our own Principal Incentive Allotment. The stronger our leaders, the stronger our school system, and the more our students benefit.”
The first five recipients of the PIA were announced during a leadership team meeting. Four of the principals received a PIA check for $15,000 and one received a PIA check for $20,000. Principal Incentive Allotment awards are based on a combination of a school’s academic growth and the campus’s economically disadvantaged percentage. It is funded through a generous grant from the Permian Strategic Partnership which has pledged $100,000 per year for the next three years to make this leadership-development program a reality.
"At the Permian Strategic Partnership, we recognize the important role that public education plays in cultivating and attracting a robust talent pipeline for our region,” said Tracee Bentley, PSP President & Chief Executive Officer. “Our Principal Incentive Allotment program, which rewards principals based on student performance, serves as a catalyst in fortifying strong leadership within our schools. This, in turn, directly enhances every student’s educational experience and outcomes, while also demonstrating our dedication to both recognizing and investing in the Permian’s promising future.”
ECISD’s first Principal Incentive Allotment recipients are:
· Jennie Chavez, Noel Elementary – Recognized Tier 3
· Micah Arrott, Pease Elementary – Recognized Tier 3
· Dr. Zenovia Crier, LBJ Elementary – Exemplary Tier 2
· Dr. Delesa Styles, Permian High School – Exemplary Tier 2
· Raquel Rodriguez, Ross Elementary – Exemplary Tier 3
“It was a complete surprise,” said Permian High School Principal Dr. Delesa Styles. “To be one of the first school districts in Texas to do brave things and honor the hard work that people are doing every, single day is truly life changing. Hopefully, it inspires a lot of other principals.”
“None of us knew that it was coming today,” said Micah Arrott, Pease Elementary Principal. “Quite frankly, I’m kinda in shock. I feel honored and excited, and I can’t wait to go back to my campus and tell them because this was definitely a joint effort of hard-working people on my campus.”
ECISD is committed to developing a strong group of campus leaders who create an environment of excellent teaching and high student achievement. The PIA is just one of a series of professional development pipelines created by ECISD designed to build strong leaders.
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 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.