HR Extras

Retirees will get extra check; active employees won’t pay more

The Teachers Retirement System (TRS) will provide an extra check to retirees in January, pending formal approval from the TRS board at its November meeting. The so-called 13th check won’t result in increased contribution rates for active members, according to TRS.

Anyone who retired on or before December 31, 2006, will receive an extra amount equal to their normal monthly pension payment (up to a maximum of $2,400). The extra annuity payment is the result of a bill passed by the 80th Texas Legislature, which authorized it on a contingency basis. Strong performance of TRS investments and an increase in the state’s contribution rate made the extra check possible.

Help your best aides become teachers

Are your teacher aides ready to take the next step to join the teaching ranks? If they are, they should know about a state program that covers the cost of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in Texas.

Aides that want to start taking college classes in spring 2008 are eligible to apply for the Educational Aide Exemption (EAE) from Nov. 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008.

To apply for the exemption, an aide must:

• Be a Texas resident
• Have an adjusted gross income of $29,828 (for a single independent student) or $59,658 (for a married independent student or dependent student)
• Have worked as a full-time aide for one of the past five school years or as a substitute teacher for 180 days of the past five school years
• Be employed by a Texas school district for the full term of the award
• Enroll in teaching courses
• Meet the academic requirements of the college or university attended

The EAE program is making a difference. In 2005–06, 9,440 exemptions were provided to students.

Houston ISD school board wins NSBA award

The Houston Independent School District’s Board of Trustees received the annual award for Urban School Board Excellence from the National School Board Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education.

Houston’s school board received notice for adopting a decentralized approach to management that put more decision-making authority into the hands of principals and teachers—the people who work directly with students. In turn, Board President Manuel Rodriguez said employees feel a greater sense of ownership and accountability because they are part of the decision-making process.

Districts must publicly report highly qualified teacher status

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires each district to publicly report the percent of highly qualified teachers working in the district (and on each campus) annually. For 2006–07 and 2007–08, public reports are required on or before Nov. 15, 2007. Additional information is available in Attachment 2 of a Texas Education Agency letter to administrators.

So what exactly is a public report? The information can be added to the agenda for your next board meeting, posted on your Web site, or both.

One of NCLB’s fundamental goals is for districts to employ 100 percent highly qualified teachers.

Mayor Bloomberg, NYC teachers’ union move forward on performance pay

Soon, New York City could become the largest city in the country to offer its teachers incentives based on student performance, taking the top spot from Houston.

On Oct. 17, New York City Mayor and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) president Randi Weingarten announced an agreement to award $20 million in cash bonuses to teachers capable of raising student achievement in 200 of the city’s high-needs schools. The program will expand to 400 high-needs schools in the 2008–09 school year.

Each school will receive enough money provide a $3,000 bonus for each educator, though school-based compensation committees will make the final decision as to how to divide funds. Because only high-needs school will be eligible to participate in the program, education leaders believe the incentives might encourage top-notch teachers to move to hard-to-staff schools.