More details released on CMSD’s Teacher Incentive Program

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It seems every time schools and government are mentioned in the same sentence, the common phrase between them is budget cuts, but as we reported Monday, the Columbus Municipal School District has a plan to reward staff for improving school performance.

Columbus Schools is one of several school districts in our area that has faced budget cuts, but they’ve been smart with what they’ve been given.

By doing research, the school board is confident they’ve found a way to keep teachers and boost ratings.

“We want to make sure that people realize that we are a classroom focused system,” said CMSD Board President, Jason Spears.

A new proposal, the Teacher Incentive Payment Plan, or T.I.P.P., is designed to put extra money in the pockets of staff members at schools that raise their overall letter grade.

Spears hasn’t based this success on a hunch.

Recently, the school board researched a similar plan used on the Gulf Coast.

“Some of the top performing school districts that you would see are along the coastline,” said Spears.

“They have been able to retain those teachers and they are seeing the desired results they want as it relates to student achievement,” said Interim Superintendent, Craig Shannon.

For a district that has faced budget cuts over the years, it’s hard to believe CMSD would have the money for this.

As Spears tells us, the district has been smart keeping the books and has roughly $6 million in its reserves.

“You know, it’s great to continue to build reserves on the side of different things but at the same time us looking through the financials and saying ‘OK. Well, how can we deploy this money in the most effective way?’ Well putting it in the classroom is obviously the most effective way to do it,” Spears said.

Reactions throughout the district are positive towards the program.

“It’s just nice that, you know, they are seeing that there is a need for this and that the incentive will kind of drive another teacher or maybe drive younger teachers to think that ‘I need to know my standards and I need to push my children,'” said librarian for Stokes-Beard Elementary, Kimberly Hyde.

“I’m hearing a lot of positive feedback as it relates to retaining teachers and getting them excited about being in the classroom and being here in Columbus,” Shannon added.

The plan isn’t designed for just teachers.

The school board believes everyone deserves a share of the wealth.

“We want everyone who’s in every school building, from the classroom, down the hallway, to the lunchroom to really make sure that the student is being able to get what they need,” said Spears.

The TIPP plan isn’t set in stone yet.

It still needs to be approved by the school board, but Spears tells us he’s confident it will go through and that the program will start in the fall of the coming school year.

The link to the proposal:

Columbus Municipal School District Teacher Incentive Pay Plan (CMSD TIPP)