Fort Stockton ISD’s new salary system benefits certified teachers

FORT STOCKTON, Texas (KOSA) -Fort Stockton ISD has a new system that allows teachers to earn up to $75,000 for teaching key subjects like mathematics, English and science.

The teachers that have that salary are zone eligible by the district.

For that they have to be certified in those subjects and it also comes with some responsibilities like working extra days.

Dr. Zamora said this is a move to incentivize those teachers that are in non-STAAR tested areas, to get certified in those subjects.

He said teachers from other parts of Texas and other states have made the journey to Fort Stockton.

After the first year of having this new system, Dr. Zamora says it’s worked out better than he expected.

“It solved our problem, but more than that, I believe that it can help the states problems. Because when teachers who left, educators who left the profession, see that it’s possible to make this type of money and while working for a pension. I believe some of them will come back to education.” said Fort Stockton Superintendent, Dr. Gabriel Zamora.

Dr. Zamora said they are using the same amount of money that’s available to other school districts.

However, they are putting it in the areas they feel are more important.

Dr. Zamora says this has solved their recruiting issues and it also could benefit the future students that want to work in education.

“It’s a hard job to be a teacher. It’s a hard job to be an administrator. People say there’s not enough compensation, we’ve created a pathway, for those that are the most talented to say this a viable option.” said Dr. Zamora.

Dr. Zamora says the goal is to pay teachers in those subjects what they deserve, but to also fix what he calls a broken system.

“More school districts that implement this type of system, a redistribution of the pie, and if they do that they’ll come back. And our kids that are going to college, will go into the areas that we most need. Once again, a system to fix the broken system.” said Dr. Zamora.

Dr. Zamora says that another reason these teacher get a higher salary, is because those subjects are evaluated by the state.

When the districts do bad, the teachers in those subjects get blamed.

While teachers that don’t get evaluated, still get paid the same amount of money.

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