We believe that a highly skilled and effective teacher is the most important factor controlled by the school that impacts student achievement.  Research supports this belief.   

Furthermore, we believe teachers deserve to be trained and supported through on-going, applied professional development that is embedded in the work schedule. The professional development and coaching provided by Masters and Mentors improves the quality of teaching in all of our classrooms, which increases student achievement.  Master and Mentor teachers bring new instructional strategies to all teachers, regardless of their experience level, but they are especially beneficial for young teachers. 

We have always wanted to set the stipend amounts for Master and Mentor teachers higher, but have not have the funding to do so.  This has been a topic in our negotiations with teachers for the past several years and our negotiation agreement states that we will continue to look for funds to increase Master/Mentor stipends.  The TIF grant funding allows us to realize this goal.