Posted on 12/02/2005 4:57:32 PM PST by bloggodocio
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has proposed a package of education reforms--including merit pay for some public school teachers--for consideration this fall by the Massachusetts legislature. At press time, the legislature's Joint Committee on Education was expected to hold hearings on the proposal by the end of the year.
"If we're serious about keeping our kids at the forefront of a highly challenging and competitive world economy, then we have to take the necessary steps to energize our education system," Romney said in a September 22 statement accompanying the new education proposals.
The package of education reforms includes a program to purchase laptop computers for students in grades 7 through 12, hiring new math and science teachers, a requirement for most schools to offer Advanced Placement (AP) math and science courses, an overhaul of the teacher evaluation process, additional vocational training as part of high school, and increased remedial measures for schools with chronically bad performance.
The merit pay plan, which would be implemented over two years, includes three ways in which individuals could earn merit pay.
Earning Merits
Under Romney's plan, $2,500 individual bonuses would be available to any instructor who teaches an AP math or science class, participates in the Commonwealth Teaching Corps (a program enabling college graduates with degrees in math, science, or engineering to teach in public schools), receives high teaching evaluations, or passes the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure.
In addition, teachers who demonstrably improved students' academic performance on standardized tests would be eligible for bonuses, though no more than one-third of the teachers in any district would be able to receive merit pay based on performance evaluations. Teachers could earn up to $5,000 in bonuses in any academic year--for example, by teaching two AP courses, or by teaching one AP course and receiving a student performance bonus from the district. Performance standards would be subject to approval by the Massachusetts Board of Education.
"With significant and targeted new money linked to incentives for teachers we can make Massachusetts a national leader in math and science," said Paul Grogan, president of the Boston Foundation and co-chair of the Great Schools Campaign, in a statement released by the governor's office September 22.
The total cost of the education reform package is projected to be $189 million over two years. The projected cost of the merit pay initiative, assuming 100 percent of the districts participate, is estimated to be $70 million during the two-year period. Most districts that participated in the program would be required to pay 50 percent of the merit costs from their existing revenue sources. The state would cover 100 percent of the costs of merit pay in schools characterized as "turnaround schools"--those which have not experienced significant academic improvement, as determined by standardized-test scores, over a three-year period.
Getting Demerits
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), an affiliate of the National Education Association, strongly opposes the merit pay plan. In a September 22 statement, the union said it was an "inequitable, ineffective, and divisive" plan that "def[ies] logic" and is "riddled with absurdities," based partially on the union's assertion that fewer AP courses are available in schools located in poorer neighborhoods.
"If the governor truly wants to help improve student achievement, his first step should be to reverse the hundreds of millions of dollars in state education spending cuts that have occurred on his watch and before," MTA President Catherine A. Boudreau said in the statement. "If he has another $69 million to spend, that money would be far better spent by targeting help to low-performing schools, reducing class sizes, extending learning time for struggling students and using other proven strategies.
"What's worse," the statement read, "it gives good teachers an incentive to flee inner-city schools for the suburbs. Why should an AP calculus teacher in Weston receive a $2,500 bonus for which a remedial math teacher in Worcester is not even eligible?"
The MTA also rejected the provision that only one-third of the teachers in any district would be eligible for bonuses, saying this "would arbitrarily deny extra pay to excellent teachers" and is "uniquely designed to destroy collegiality in a school."
Dividing Teachers
Instead of merit pay for some teachers, especially those in the fields of math and science, the MTA asserts pay for all teachers should be increased and all classes should be smaller. When asked for comment, the union referred to its news releases. But Mass Insight Education, another education group in the state, supported Romney's idea.
"All teachers certainly deserve to be paid a fair wage. However, we believe the time has come to look at more than just seniority and courses completed when it comes to compensation packages," said Alison Fraser, director of Mass Insight's Great Schools Campaign.
"Merit pay should reward teachers based on levels of responsibility, differing levels of expertise, and improving student achievement," Fraser continued. "We are dedicated to excellence in teaching in all subjects; in the real world, though, economic imperative dictates paying more for workers in some disciplines than in others. It may be time to adopt this global economic model, in order to attract the best teachers to the hardest-to-staff positions."
If Massachusetts adopts merit pay for teachers, it will become the sixth state to do so. Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, and North Carolina all use public funds to support bonuses for classroom performance.
And Mitt wants to buy them laptops? Why, so they can watch music videos or play games? I've got a room full of computers and every time my class is let loose I spend a good portion of my time trying to keep them from going on "inappropriate" websites or sending email instead of doing classwork.
I can't see that free laptops as ed. reform is going to fly well in the rest of the country when he makes his run.
they can propose it all they want. the unions will NEVER let it happen. Unless they can be blackmailed...
Now that is one plan that is dead way before it arrives.
LVM
I taught my kids to be school teachers when they grow up. It's easy street, and no one sees it as the welfare system it really is. My kids will be school teachers - conservative school teachers. They'd be stupid not to jump on the gravy train and take advantage of this scam.
"What other job in America can you get away with only working 6 months, get a full years pay, and never get fired no matter how little you do?"
DNC Chairman ?
I can't imagine that MA would elect a governor who wanted teachers to earn their pay.
Well, in 6 months I will officially be a school teacher. Four years ago, I went back to school full-time, putting myself through (while working full-time). I have a 3.9+ GPA (got screwed out of a few A's by liberal profs) and will dedicate myself to being the best I can be. Merit pay is a good idea (works every time it's tried). Union pay scales are a disincentive for hard work (I should know...I've been working at a union job for the last 8 years). You can work really hard, or not at all and get them same pay. I think that raising the grade requirements and requiring standardized tests to get a teaching certification were good first steps here in Pennsylvania. Romney's plan seems a little cockeyed, though. It sounds more like a teacher recruitment incentive plan instead of a real "merit pay" plan. Teachers ought to get above-average pay for above-average results (just like the real world).
As far as teaching being a "welfare" program, that is somewhat true. If a teacher is doing his job (really doing his job), he is working on stuff every night when he gets home (instead of using the same lesson plans for 30 years), reading journal articles, picking up new techniques and curricula, designing new courses, taking masters courses over his summers, attending professional workshops and conferences, etc... (you get the picture). It's the whole union mentality that is really ruining the teaching profession.
This is DOA with the legislature.
I despise the teachers union and their politics! But, I see problems with merit pay. For one thing, teachers assignments are not "equal" so teaching results are not equal. Not every administrator is totally unbiased when making class assignments. A lone teacher, good, bad or indifferent, is not exempt from personality conflict with administrators. Not every class consists of equally capable and responsive students. Some classes are tracked and some are not. I don't know what the answer might be, but the human element in teacher merit pay is a problem.
When it comes to "merit pay" for teachers, history shows that teachers end up paying to be able to work!
The real improvement in compensation would be to pay all teachers the same -- because under the present system, those who do the least work, are paid the most (seniority system), while those struggling in their first year of teaching, are obviously having the hardest time (job).
As a person becomes more experienced, the job gets easier. But the problem with attracting teachers to the job is that those with seniority get paid twice what the entry-level teacher gets paid. They need to make the entry-level pay attractive by equalizing it. With all things being equal, only those who really love teaching stay in the profession and those only in it for the money and a lifetime job, move on. That's what needs to happen for the teaching profession to improve.
If one is a good teacher, he can make more money as a private tutor and instructor as he desires to. Those who don't have a good reputation as teachers, will not have those opportunities to make more. That's the merit aspect.
It may be DOA, but the subject needs more and more discussion across the country. I say privatize all the schools and get rid of the tax draining, ineffective system we have now.
Teachers are always warning kids about the real world where promotions are decided by supervisors, period. They won't accept that system in their make believe world. Everyone knows there are good, better, and best teachers, Everyone, that is, but the NEA.
I am all for merit pay. And I agree with you laptops and computers are not the solution to our students problems.
Teaching a scam?Not where I substitute in the inner city.
You have to watch your back at all times and deal with a multitude of kids with every problem under the sun.Don't even TRY to enforce rules regarding common courtesy and civil behavior because the adminstrators will blame YOU for upsetting their permissive apple cart.
Today I had to reprimand a Ninth Grader for"booty sniffing"and tell him in no uncertain terms that sexual harassment can get him in real trouble someday.
But send him to the office?They don't want to hear those kind of"minor"problems in their ivory towers!
I grew up in Long Beach, CA and am undecided on taking money from some hard working teachers who are stuck teaching kids who will never go anywhere in life... nor do they want to. Coming from a High School with 4,000 students, many from the ghettos of Long Beach... i know first hand how few of them actually care about school, let along want to be helped or can be helped. The cuts to funding needs to be at the administrative levels, not the teachers (unless of course teachers don't pass various requirements, showing they're simply stupid teachers)
Teachers at my high school made CRAP. While administrators made all the money. The money gets sucked up by the beaurocracy and never makes it down to the levels where it actually can help.
Yeah, i may sound like a DUmmy on this... but if any of you grew up in places where you could see those around you never going anywhere in life... you'd understand.
"The Human Element" is never satisfied by Institutional Programs.
The human element works when it recognizes The Moral Compass. When it does not, all hell breaks loose.
I think that pretty well sums it up.
Glad there's a teacher who posts here. Hopefully not on the company network, though. ;)
I'll second that. I was just talking about computer issues. I didn't even mention the other stuff, like students stealing each others' stuff, stealing my stuff, the time they squirted elmer's glue all over the computer screens and keyboards, carving up the tables with boxcutters, boys reaching up girl's skirts, 14 y.o. girls openly discussing how they lost their virginity last weekend, students punching-pushing-threatening other students, students throwing things across the room, oh and my personal favorite - the student who said "you're a joke and your class is a joke and no one takes you seriously" and then proceeded to simulate a certain lewd sexual act with his hand. These are high schoolers, and no inner-city ones, but average blue-collar townies.
And brother the administration with any of these "problems"? That's the real joke. I'm supposed to 'learn to get along with them'.
As for teaching being a scam, I'd like to see any of these critics spend week in my class without walking out or getting sued for verbally or physically abusing a student who so richly deserves it. I am in my office at 6:00 am on a regular basis and often don't leave till 4:30 or 5:00pm. I make $593/week and that does not include the immmoral forced union membership dues which haven't kicked in yet.
I completely agree with the comment regarding the Moral Compass. Few of these problems can be solved in the school. But not much will happen if often when I call home to tell a parent (if there is one) what little johnny did that day, the response is often along the lines of "oh. ok" - click.
My revenge? The TV is on Fox News before school starts and during my detention..or even a speech by W on C-Span!
I believe good teachers should be paid handsomely.
BUT- the sytem you are about to enter is a mess. Make sure you consider tutoring homeschool children on the side. Homeschoolers will pay for good teachers. I pay for all of my children's teachers when I need some help on a topic or I think the need a change in faces- I don't care what it costs. I get to pick them myself and I get progress.
Best of luck to you. And if you would like help on how to contact homeschoolers in your area- freep mail me.
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