Hisd Offers Bonuses, Extra Pay To Lure Summer School Teachers

HISD offers bonuses, extra pay to lure summer school teachers Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 08:47 p.m., Monday, June 4, 2012 In a quick effort to lure teachers to work during summer school, Houston ISD is offering higher pay and the chance for $10,000 bonuses if they help failing students pass state exams. The district has not released the number of students who failed the tests when they took them for the first time last semester, but scattered reports reveal poor performance statewide - meaning tutoring over the summer is even more important. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said Monday that he plans to ask the school board Thursday to dip into the district's savings to help cover the added summer school costs. The plan is under way - the administration considered the recruiting incentive an emergency - but the board still needs to sign off, said HISD spokesman Jason Spencer. Summer school teachers who work with ninth- and 12th-graders who failed state exams last spring will earn $50 an hour, up from the $30 to $40 hourly rate that teachers of other grade levels receive. The teachers could earn bonuses of up to $10,000 - or $150 to $250 for each of their summer school students who passes or improves a level when they retake the state tests in July.