Washington Post Endorses Merit Pay in DC---Deal Nearly Done With AFT

[Rich Gibson <rgibson@pipeline.com>]

Reform With Rewards

(Keep in mind that the D.C. AFT local is historically one of the most 
corrupt AFT locals in the USA, which is saying something. Past 
leaders are now in jail for embezzling hundreds of thousands of 
dollars of members' dues money and current AFT bosses are at war with 
each other---Rhee is a Teach for America product, using Broad and 
Gates money---RG)

The District proposes a bold new way to pay teachers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR2008070702278_pf.html
Tuesday, July 8, 2008; A14

DISTRICT SCHOOL officials are drafting a bold plan to revolutionize 
how teachers are paid. So exciting is the proposal that 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Michelle+Rhee?tid=informline>Schools 
Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has persuaded outside foundations to pony 
up millions of dollars to underwrite the plan as a national test 
case. D.C. teachers could become among the highest-paid in the 
country, but, predictably, opposition is being fomented by those 
fearful of any change. They should not squander a unique opportunity 
for teachers and the students they serve.

Months of negotiations with the Washington Teachers' Union have 
resulted in the broad outlines of a plan that would provide for two 
pay scales. Teachers in both categories would get raises, but only 
those willing to forgo tenure and the salary steps of seniority would 
be in line for thousands of dollars in bonuses and special awards. 
Compensation for teachers in this new tier would be linked to their 
effectiveness in the classroom, as measured by student achievement. 
Teachers could almost double their salaries, in some cases earning up 
to $131,000. Imagine the kind of talent the hard-pressed system could 
attract. Instead of facing the loss of promising teachers to 
better-paying jobs in the suburbs, the city would be able to fashion 
an exciting new workforce in which positive results -- and the 
teachers who bring them about -- are rewarded. No teacher with tenure 
would be forced to give up seniority-based benefits; the new salary 
structure would be voluntary, save for those new to the system. 
Indeed, we wonder whether the proposal is overly generous, in that 
ineffective teachers, no matter their seniority, should not be 
tolerated, much less rewarded with raises.

The real winners would be the students. Not only would there be a 
powerful incentive to make a difference in the classroom, there would 
be new flexibility in how teachers are assigned. No longer would 
seniority be the sole determinant of which school gets which teacher; 
there would have to be mutual agreement between teachers and principals.

The future of this groundbreaking proposal is uncertain. Local union 
officials who are receptive to the idea have had to contend with 
not-so-subtle pressure from national unions worried about an assault 
on seniority, as well as a backlash from colleagues who are not so 
reform-minded. Rules prevent Ms. Rhee from directly addressing the 
teachers regarding the contract, and that's too bad, because she is 
eloquent when she talks about her feelings toward teachers. She knows 
the demands of a D.C. classroom and how teachers have been denied 
support, resources and constancy. As she asks more of them, she wants 
to give more back. That core belief helped her persuade outside 
foundations -- the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation is said to be 
one of them -- to provide millions of dollars over the next five 
years to fund the reforms. Make no mistake, though: That outside 
money won't be available to perpetuate a status quo that for years 
has proved unequal to the challenge of urban education.