Thursday, July 06, 2000
Merit pay plans popular
By Andrea Tortora
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As the nation's largest teachers union voted Wednesday to support pay-for-performance bonus systems, Tristate school districts considering such systems applauded merit plans.
Pay for performance is gaining popularity regionally as well as nationally. The National Education Association's debate of the issue gives it even more credence.
• Cincinnati Public Schools will give teachers their first bonus checks this year. Negotiated with the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, the “school incentive award” plan pays teachers $1,400 if their school reaches pre-set academic improvement goals.
• Cincinnati has even gone a step further, becoming the first school district in the country to adopt a salary schedule based on teacher performance rather than seniority.
• Lakota Schools are negotiating a contract with its teachers. One of the issues on the table: Pay-for-performance pay structures.
Alan Hutchinson, Lakota's treasurer, said the national debate gives districts the incentive to recognize quality teachers and justify paying them more.
“In the world of business this is commonplace,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “In the world of government there is a much more structured salary schedule and it's harder to justify those doing exceptionally well vs. those doing marginally well.”
Pay-for-performance structures usually give teachers higher salaries or bonuses if they're judged to be good at what they do, accept extra or difficult assignments, mentor others on how to become more effective, or have students who score higher on tests.
Critics worry such plans would be unfair, specifically if teachers have unruly or difficult students.
Supporters say rewarding good teachers would attract top candidates and increase salaries.
According to the American Federation of Teachers, the average teacher made $40,574 in 1999, much less than engineers, $68,294; computer systems analysts, $66,782; and lawyers, $69,104.
The minimum pay for Cincinnati teachers was $28,958 in 1999, making it the 33rd-highest salary base in the nation in a listing of 100 school districts, according to a Department of Defense wage study. The minimum salary for teachers in Yonkers, N.Y. was the nation's highest at $37,045.
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