Teacher Incentive Initiative

Honoring Our Educators:
Teacher Incentive Initiative
2025-2026 Academic School Year

We are excited to share news about the new initiative Honoring Our Educators: Teacher Incentive Initiative. This initiative is designed to recognize and reward the incredible work you do. Through this new initiative, teachers will receive additional financial incentives exclusively throughout the 2025-2026 school year as a way to acknowledge your commitment and impact as follows in the linked Implementation of Incentive Structure for At-Risk Schools.

It’s also important to note that while we deeply value the important work being done at the bargaining table and look forward to continuing as soon as possible, and we appreciate the collaboration of our labor partners, this initiative is statutorily distinct and separate from those negotiations. The incentive initiative stands on its own as part of our broader District strategy to invest in our people, support student achievement, and ensure we retain and uplift the incredible talent already working hard across our district. We extend our sincere gratitude to our School Board for their strong support of this initiative and their continued commitment to advancing opportunities across our district.

Criteria
Education Risk Rating School Level Incentive Critical Subject / Courses Complementary Subject / Courses Total Incentive Range
Risk Level 4 $2,500 $6,500 $2,500 $2,500 - $9,000
Risk Level 3 $2,000 $4,500 $1,500 $2,000 - $6,500
Risk Level 2 $1,000 $2,500 $500 $1,000 - $3,500
Risk Level 1 N/A $1,000 N/A $0 - $1,000

First, we’ve identified schools based on risk level. School Level Incentives will be provided to school-based instructional and special instructional non-itinerant staff and prorated as such, recognizing your dedication and the complexity of the work you do in these environments.

Second, we’re prioritizing incentives based on subject areas that have the greatest impact on student achievement and those that are hardest to staff across the state. We’ve broken these into two categories:

  • Critical Subjects/Courses have a direct attachment to the statewide educational accountability model with required annual testing in Grades 3-10 or are otherwise identified in the below critical subjects/courses chart based on high demand teaching areas that represent “certification areas where larger than typical proportions of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field are being hired to teach courses where significant vacancies exist and where postsecondary institutions do not produce enough graduates to meet the needs of Florida’s K-12 student population.”
  • Complementary Subjects/Courses have an indirect impact to the statewide educational accountability mode,l with courses that are not a part of the required annual testing in Grades 3-10, but have a clear and convincing cumulative impact on the critical subjects/courses that are assessed as part of the statewide educational accountability model.

Critical Subject List

  • Grades 3–10 English Language Arts (ELA) and Reading Courses
  • Grades 3–8 Mathematics Courses
  • Algebra 1 Courses
  • Geometry Courses
  • Grade 5 Science
  • Grade 8 Science
  • Biology 1 Courses
  • Civics Courses
  • High School U.S. History Courses
  • ESE In-Person, Self-Contained Courses

Complementary Subject List

  • Grades K-2 ELA, Mathematics, and Science Courses
  • Grades 3-4 Science Courses
  • Grades 6-12 Science Courses not listed above
  • Grades 6-12 Social Studies Courses not listed above
  • Grades 11-12 English Language Arts (ELA) and Reading Courses
  • Grades 9-12 Mathematics Courses not listed above
  • ESE Courses not previously listed

**Please be advised that, at the sole discretion of Central District Administration, critical and complementary subject lists may be adjusted based on the needs of the District.

Incentives will be proportionate to the percentage of your teaching schedule that covers these subjects. This helps ensure fairness while targeting the areas that have the greatest impact on our students’ outcomes and our district’s long-term success.

We know these roles are challenging, and we want to honor the critical work you're doing. This incentive structure is one more way we are showing that Lee County believes in our teachers, and we are investing in you.