| (iii) approval for the waiver by a vote of a majority
of the educators employed at each campus for which the waiver is sought;
and
(iv) evidence that the voting occurred during the school
year and in a manner that ensured that all educators entitled to vote
had a reasonable opportunity to participate in the voting;
(B) the commissioner shall notify in writing each district
that applies for a waiver under this subsection whether the application
has been granted or denied not later than April 1 of the year in which
the application is submitted; and
(C) a waiver granted under this subsection expires
when the waiver is no longer necessary to carry out the purposes of
the program as described by the TEC, §21.7011, in accordance
with the district's local educator excellence innovation plan.
(f) Conditions of operation.
(1) A school district must identify performance measures
in the application for the success of the local educator excellence
innovation plan. The performance measures must:
(A) directly relate to the program purposes as specified
in the TEC, §21.7011;
(B) include measures of student learning and academic
performance and growth;
(C) relate to improved teacher performance, growth,
support, and retention;
(D) include targets for school district performance,
and specifically for selected campuses if the district program is
not districtwide, that align to the components of the indices that
comprise the state academic accountability system; and
(E) be in accordance with program guidelines established
by the commissioner.
(2) If a school district fails to faithfully implement
the local educator excellence innovation plan as approved by the TEA,
the commissioner may disqualify a school district from receiving a
grant award from the EEIP the subsequent grant year.
(3) If a school district fails to accurately keep and
appropriately report performance measures or other EEIP requirements,
the commissioner may disqualify a school district from receiving a
grant award from the EEIP the subsequent grant year.
(g) Amount of grant awards.
(1) In accordance with the TEC, §21.703, each
school district selected to receive a competitively awarded grant
under the EEIP is entitled to an award in an amount determined by
considerations such as:
(A) the scope of the approved educator excellence innovation
plan;
(B) the number of campuses within a district participating
in the approved educator excellence innovation plan and the student
enrollment of those campuses; and
(C) other considerations to allow for the successful
implementation of the district's approved educator excellence innovation
plan.
(2) Award amounts may vary from one year to the next.
(h) Award payments.
(1) A school district may use grant funds awarded to
the district under this program only to carry out purposes of the
program as described by the TEC, §21.7011, in accordance with
the district's local educator excellence innovation plan.
(2) The use of grant funds may include, but is not
limited to:
(A) implementation and administration of a high-quality
mentoring program for teachers in a teacher's first three years of
classroom teaching using mentors who meet the qualifications prescribed
by the TEC, §21.458(b);
(B) implementation of a teacher evaluation system using
multiple measures that include:
(i) the results of classroom observations, which may
include student comments;
(ii) the degree of student educational growth and learning;
and
(iii) the results of teacher self-evaluations;
(C) to the extent permitted under the TEC, Chapter
25, Subchapter C, restructuring of the school day or school year to
provide for embedded and collaborative learning communities for the
purpose of professional development;
(D) establishment of an alternative teacher compensation
or retention system;
(E) implementation of incentives designed to reduce
teacher turnover;
(F) funding for campus non-teaching positions dedicated
to acting as coaches or master teachers to facilitate leadership team
meetings and educator meetings designed to promote and implement proven
strategies in the classroom and provide formative feedback to educators
on a weekly basis;
(G) funding for instructional coaches; and
(H) implementation of strategies designed to bring
prestige to the teaching profession, which may include but are not
limited to establishing career pathways.
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