Arlington ISD is considering joining a state program that could allow some teachers to earn tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses, as the district seeks to boost pay and attract experienced educators.

District leaders are weighing whether to participate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a state-funded program that rewards high-performing teachers, particularly at high-need schools.

Thornton Elementary on the city’s east side has been identified as one of Arlington ISD’s 24 high-need campuses, according to district officials.

“High needs in a variety of ways, whether it’s an underperforming special education population or something else,” said Justin Chapa, president of the Arlington ISD Board of Trustees.

The Teacher Incentive Allotment uses a tiered system that can award bonuses of up to $36,000 per year, aiming to give teachers access to six-figure salaries.

Chapa said joining the program could help Arlington ISD remain competitive as it tries to recruit and retain top educators.

“If there’s a way to maintain that competitive edge so we get the most experienced educators in Arlington ISD, I think that’s something we’re definitely going to look at,” Chapa said.

Another factor is that Arlington ISD already employs teachers who previously worked in districts participating in the TIA program. Their bonus pay follows them for five years, then resets to Arlington ISD’s standard pay scale. If Arlington ISD does not opt into the program, those teachers could face a pay cut, which Chapa said raises concerns about retention and fairness.

“It creates an incentive for them to leave, and so it’s an issue of retention and fairness, for sure,” Chapa said.

While performance-based bonuses may sound appealing, some educators have raised concerns about how districts measure success. Each district largely designs its own evaluation system within state guidelines.

“There are complaints,” said Chelsea Baldwin, deputy executive director of the United Educators Association. “It depends on how they’re measuring student growth. What tests they’re using, what system they are using to measure it? It also comes down to human error a lot of times.”

Arlington ISD leaders said they are now working through those questions, beginning a series of meetings with staff before returning to the issue in March.