Texarkana ISD Celebrates TIA Approval and Special Student Tribute to Board of Trustees

Texarkana, TX — The Texarkana ISD Board of Trustees meeting included a celebration as Dr. Brubaker shared exciting news about teacher recognition and students delivered a heartfelt message of appreciation to the Board.

During the Superintendent’s report, Dr. Brubaker announced that Texarkana ISD has received full approval of its Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) system. With this approval, the district is now authorized to formally designate and financially reward highly effective teachers based on student growth and teacher observation data. In some cases, eligible teachers may earn up to $30,000 in additional compensation. This milestone represents a major investment in recognizing excellence, strengthening teacher retention, and rewarding instructional effectiveness across the district.

The district’s initial TIA cohort includes Pre-K and 3rd Grade Reading teachers, and the program is expanding. For the 2025–2026 school year, more than 260 teachers are being submitted for data collection, including Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers, 3rd Grade Math teachers, Grades 4–8 Reading and Math teachers, English I & II teachers, and Algebra I teachers. The district will continue working toward expanding eligibility across additional subject areas in future years.

In official action, the Board approved the 2026–2027 budget calendar, meeting minutes, budget amendments, and the monthly financial report as part of routine business.

The Board approved a resolution forgiving employee absences during the district’s emergency weather closure January 26–29, 2026. Schools were closed due to inclement weather to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the community. The approved resolution supports employees whose work schedules were affected by circumstances beyond their control and serves important public purposes, including reducing unemployment liability, decreasing employee turnover, and maintaining strong employee morale. The wages associated with the closure were already incorporated into the 2025–2026 budget.

In accordance with state law, local policy, and Senate Bill 13, the Board approved the recommended library materials for the 2025–2026 school year following review by the Local School Library Advisory Council. The materials were vetted to ensure alignment with the district’s educational mission, curriculum standards, and age-appropriateness requirements.

The Board also held and approved a recorded vote in compliance with Texas Senate Bill 11, which requires school boards to vote within six months of the law’s September 1, 2025, effective date regarding adoption of a policy allowing a daily voluntary period of prayer and reading of religious texts, consistent with state and federal law and existing district policy.

Texarkana ISD remains committed to recognizing excellence, honoring leadership, and making decisions that positively impact students and staff across the district.

The next regular meeting of the TISD Board of Trustees will be held on March 31, 2026.