HISD announced on Sunday its plan to offer big bonuses to lure teachers into the district.

The bonuses could be as high as $6,000, and will be used to recruit hard-to-find math, science and bilingual teachers. 

Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra on Monday will present to the school board the plan to go after the teachers immediately as they are preparing to finish college in the spring or change jobs.

“We need these teachers in our classrooms next school year, and we cannot afford to sit around and let them go to other districts,” Dr. Saavedra said. “We are making great academic progress at HISD, and these new teachers can help us to do even better. But if we wait, we’ll lose out.”

AP

The board will vote on the plan Thursday.

More than 12,500 teachers currently work for HISD, and the district hires about a thousand new teachers each summer to replace those who retire and move on.

Offering signing bonuses to hard-to-find teachers is nothing new for the district, but what is new about the plan is the bonuses will be offered in March, well before new teachers graduate from college and before veteran teachers make their decisions to stay or go in other districts.

If the board approves the plan, $3,000 signing bonuses will be used to attract up to 100 newly-certified core teachers.  $6,000 bonuses will be offered to bilingual teachers and middle and high school science and math teachers. 

The district would also offer $5,000 bonuses to ESL, middle and high school Spanish and special education teachers.

“We are making good academic progress but we must continue that momentum,” Dr. Saavedra said. “That means aggressively recruiting the best teachers. We can do that if we get out there earlier with our offers.”