QTEA Frequently Asked Questions

List of High Potential Schools

High Potential Schools 2022-23

Bret Harte Elementary School

Bryant Elementary School

Buena Vista Horace Mann

Cesar Chavez Elementary School

Cleveland Elementary School

Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School

Dr. G. Washington Carver E.S.

Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School

El Dorado Elementary School

Everett Middle School

James Lick Middle School

John Muir Elementary School

John O'Connell High School

June Jordan Schools for Equity

Leonard Flynn Elementary School

Malcolm X Elementary School

Paul Revere K-8

San Francisco International High School

Sanchez Elementary School

Tenderloin Elementary School

Thurgood Marshall High School

Visitacion Valley Elementary School

Visitacion Valley Middle School

Willie Brown, Jr. Middle School

High Potential Schools 2021-22

Bret Harte Elementary School

Bryant Elementary School

Buena Vista Horace Mann

Cesar Chavez Elementary School

Cleveland Elementary School

Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School

Dr. G. Washington Carver E.S.

Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School

El Dorado Elementary School

Everett Middle School

James Lick Middle School

John Muir Elementary School

John O'Connell High School

June Jordan Schools for Equity

Leonard Flynn Elementary School

Malcolm X Elementary School

Mission Education Center

Paul Revere K-8

Sanchez Elementary School

Tenderloin Elementary School

Thurgood Marshall High School

Visitacion Valley Elementary School

Visitacion Valley Middle School

Willie Brown, Jr. Middle School

High Potential Schools 2020-21

Bret Harte Elementary School

Bryant Elementary School

Buena Vista Horace Mann

Cesar Chavez Elementary School

Cleveland Elementary School

Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School

Dr. G. Washington Carver E.S.

Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School

El Dorado Elementary School

Everett Middle School

James Lick Middle School

John Muir Elementary School

John O'Connell High School

June Jordan Schools for Equity

Leonard Flynn Elementary School

Malcolm X Elementary School

Mission Education Center

Paul Revere K-8

Sanchez Elementary School

Tenderloin Elementary School

Thurgood Marshall High School

Visitacion Valley Elementary School

Visitacion Valley Middle School

Willie Brown, Jr. Middle School

High Potential Schools 2019-20

Bessie Carmichael School K-8

Bret Harte Elementary School

Bryant Elementary School

*Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8

Burton High School

Cesar Chavez Elementary School

Charles Drew Elementary School

*Cleveland Elementary School

Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School

El Dorado Elementary School

Everett Middle School

George Washington Carver Elementary School

James Denman Middle School

James Lick Middle School

John Muir Elementary School

John O'Connell High School

*June Jordan High School

Leonard Flynn Elementary School

Malcolm X Elementary School

Martin Luther King Middle School

*Mission Education Center Elementary School

Paul Revere K-8

San Francisco Community School K-8

Sanchez Elementary School

Starr King E.S.

Tenderloin Elementary School

Thurgood Marshall High School

*Visitacion Valley Elementary School

Visitacion Valley Middle School

Willie Brown, Jr. Middle School

*Schools that are eligible for the Mayor's Office Stipend only

Early Education Department (EED) Stipend

What is the EED Stipend?

This stipend is a $500 flat salary allocation annually that is paid to EED teachers.

Who qualifies for the EED stipend?

Current EED teachers (EED teachers who are in the system by October 20th) are qualified.

What if I work part-time?

The stipend is a flat allocation; it is not pro-rated for part-time. All recipients of the stipend shall receive the $500 flat salary allocation.

When Should I expect to receive this stipend?

This stipend is paid in the last pay warrant in November. It would be listed as "QTEA CDP (03) Stipend" on your pay stub.

Hard-to-Fill Subjects Stipend

What is the Hard-to-Fill subject stipend?

For the 2020-21 school year, the Hard to Fill stipend is a $1,000 stipend paid at the end of the school year (end of June) to eligible certificated staff who work in a Hard to Fill subject area.

What is considered a Hard to Fill subject area? How was this determined?

For the 2020-21 school year, Special Education and Bilingual Education have been designated as Hard to Fill Subjects. This was determined by analyzing the turnover and demand levels for teachers in each subject area.

Who qualifies for the Hard to Fill stipend?

Certificated staff members who work in a Hard to Fill subject area can qualify for the stipend. For Special Education, this includes teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, and Teachers on Special Assignment who are working as Content Specialists to support Special Education. For Bilingual Education, this includes certificated staff who hold an active BCLAD credential and are in a position requiring them to utilize their BCLAD in a bilingual setting.

Certificated staff members who qualify must work and be present at a site at least 75 percent of the school year to be eligible for the stipend. Time spent on Paid or Unpaid leave does not count towards working 75 percent of the school year.

Will I receive these funds each year?

If a subject is designated Hard to Fill and you are eligible, you will receive the stipend. If the subject area ceases to be designated Hard to Fill, payments for the subject area will continue for two (2) more years.

For example, Mathematics was designated Hard to Fill in 2009-2010. It was not designated this in following years. However, staff who received the Hard to Fill stipend in 2009-2010 for Mathematics continued to receive the stipend for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 but no longer.

What if I work part-time?

The stipend is pro-rated. This means that a person who is a 0.5 FTE will receive $500 ($1,000 x 0.5 = $500).

When is this stipend paid?

This stipend is paid in the end of June pay check. If you were eligible and received it, it would be listed as "QTEA Hard to Fill Subjects" in your June pay check.

High Potential Schools Stipend

What is the High Potential Schools stipend?

Full-time certificated staff members at High Potential Schools (formerly called Hard to Staff schools) receive a stipend as part of QTEA. For the 2020-21 school year, the stipend is $2,000. This stipend is paid in two (2) installments – one payment of $1,000 is paid to qualifying members after each semester.

Which schools are designated as High Potential?

Please see above for the list. The list is updated every spring for the following school year.

How was this list determined?

Schools are designated based on the following criteria: historical student performance, student population in terms of income, ELLs, students with disabilities, historical teacher turnover, projected turnover and program needs, school’s former Tier (e.g., Tier 1 includes schools with the highest level of support).

Who qualifies for the stipend?

Full-time certificated staff members who work at High Potential schools may qualify. Here's what that means:

  • "Full-time" = Worked and present at school site at least 75 percent of the semester. Time spent on Paid or Unpaid leave does not count towards working 75 percent of the semester.
  • "Certificated staff member" includes teachers, certificated nurses, social workers and/or counselors, certificated administrators, librarians.
  • Note: Eligible itinerant staff may qualify for the stipend (itinerant staff include, but not limited to, psychologists, music/art teachers, social workers, counselors, nurses, librarians). Qualified itinerant staff must work the equivalent of at least 0.2 FTE at High Potential schools to qualify for the stipend.

What if I work part time or only part of my time is spent at High Potential schools?

The stipend is pro-rated - it is adjusted for their full-time equivalent (FTE). For example, a 0.5 FTE would receive $500 in one semester ($1,000 x 0.5 = $500).

What if I’m on leave? Will I still receive the additional funding?

Only those who are Active or on Paid Leave when the stipend is paid are eligible for the stipend, as long as they worked and were present at least 75% of the semester. Those who are on unpaid leave, resigned, terminated, etc. when the stipend is paid are not eligible.

Will this money be ongoing?

High Potential schools are determined on a year-to-year basis. The list of High Potential schools will be determined by SFUSD in the Spring semester of each school year for the next school year.

When is this stipend paid?

This stipend is paid in the end of January and June paychecks. It is listed on your pay stub as "QTEA Hard to Staff Schls CSF" or "QTEA Hard to Staff Schls ADM."

Paraprofessional Stipend

What is the Paraprofessional stipend?

This stipend is a $250 flat salary allocation annually that is paid to paraprofessionals.

Who qualifies for this stipend?

Current paraprofessionals (who are in the system by October 20th) should receive this stipend.

What if I work part-time?

The stipend is a flat allocation; it is not pro-rated for part-time. All recipients of the stipend shall receive the $250 flat salary allocation.

When should I expect to receive this stipend?

This stipend is to be paid in the last pay warrant in November. It would be listed as "QTEA Para Stipend" in your pay stub.

Retention Bonus

What is the retention bonus?

For the 2020-21 school year, there is a 4-year and 8-year retention bonus. The bonus is paid to UESF certificated staff who qualify. The amount is $2,500 for those who have completed 4 eligible years of service and $3,000 for those who have completed 8 eligible years of service.
 
The bonus is paid in the 5th and 9th year of service on the last paycheck in September (i.e., a teacher who completed 4 years of service will receive their bonus in the following year – their 5th year).

Who qualifies for the retention bonus?

A person qualifies for the retention bonus if he/she:

  • Completed 4 years or 8 years of service
  • 1 eligible year of service = Worked 75% of school year in SFUSD as a UESF certificated staff member
  • Is on Active or Paid Leave
  • Is serving in an eligible pay scale grade during their 4th or 8th year
    • 4-year: B1, B2, B7, B8, B9, R7, R8, S7, S8
    • 8-year: B1, B2, B8, R8, S8, B9
  • Has been active in an eligible position no earlier than 2000 (for 8-year) or 2004 (for 4-year)

Those who reached their 4-year or 8-year prior to QTEA are not eligible. Those who reached their 4-year prior to QTEA may be eligible for the 8-year bonus.

Do I have to return the next year to receive the bonus?

An employee must be either Active or on Paid Leave during their 5th or 9th year in order to receive the bonus.

What if I work part time?

Employees who qualify for the bonus will receive the full amount regardless of FTE.

What if I am not fully credentialed? Am I still eligible for the bonus?

No. Employees must be fully credentialed in their respective areas to be eligible for the retention bonuses.

What if I’ve taught somewhere else? Do those years count?

No. The retention bonus is to recognize and retain teachers who have been employed by SFUSD for four and eight years.

When is this bonus paid?

Eligible employees should receive the bonus in their end-of-September paycheck - it will be listed as either "QTEA Retention Bonus After 4" or "QTEA Retention Bonus After 8."

Substitute Stipend

What is the Substitute stipend?

Substitute employees receive one of the following bonuses each semester:

  • $200 for teaching at least sixty (60) days per semester.
  • $400 for teaching at least fifty (50) days per semester in High Potential School(s).

What counts as one (1) day of teaching?

One (1) day of sub teaching assignment = More than 3.5 hours of teaching. If sub teaching assignment is less than 3.5 hours, that time equates to 0.5 (half) days of teaching. 

Who qualifies for this stipend?

Day-to-day substitutes, with a job code of 0761 or 0763, qualify for this stipend. Eligible substitutes also include Prop-A substitutes, Core substitutes (Core subs are only eligible for the $400 stipend - 50+ days at High Potential Schools).

The following are not eligible for the stipend: EED substitutes, summer school substitutes and consolidated teachers.

What is the maximum amount I can receive?

Substitutes are eligible to receive only one bonus each semester, whichever is greater. The maximum annual bonus total shall be $800 (that is, if a person worked 50 days each semester - 100 days total - all at Hard to Staff schools).

What if I worked 50 days at High Potential Schools one semester and then 60 days at various other schools the following semester?

A substitute may qualify for the 50-day bonus the first semester and the 60-day bonus the second semester, or vice-a-versa.

When should I expect to receive this stipend?

Bonuses will be paid in the pay warrant following the end of each semester – one payment will occur after fall semester (January paycheck) and a second payment will occur after spring semester (June paycheck).

It would be listed as either "QTEA Hard to Staff Schools DTD Subs" or "QTEA Day to Day Subs" in your pay stub.

This page was last updated on February 7, 2024