Teachers always have been paid based on how long they’ve taught, but more Maryland districts are joining those around the country in considering paying based on performance.
The merit-pay plan has most often been used to provide incentives for struggling urban school systems, but officials in Baltimore-area counties and the City say they have begun to look at it as an alternative to the current system to try to boost student achievement and reward teachers for improve performance.
Critics, however, argue that the program unfairly measures teachers and destroys teamwork between teachers who don’t want to share successful techniques.
In the city, schools chief Andres Alonso said he would start an incentive program only if the teachers union, whom he has consistently battled, goes along with it.
“I’m very interested in learning about it and seeing if this is the right way to measure schools,” Alonso said.
“Pay-for-performance matters, but it’s not at the core for me. The core for me is what has to be in place for a school to be successful.”
Accountability is essential for successful schools, Alonso said, but he added that pay is not necessary for him to determine which teachers are performing well.
Prince George’s County will become the first in the state to use merit pay, with the help of millions of dollars in federal grants. Harford and Anne Arundel offer merit pay for administrators.
Jonathan O’Neal, Harford County’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said “a lot of rich discussion” should take place.
“We recognize that there are important factors to consider and weigh and do not necessarily believe that any compensation system should be based on a single factor,” he said.
“I think most of us in positions around the state think it’s an important conversation to have.”
Donna Wiseman, dean of the University of Maryland College of Education, said that including teachers when considering the program is most important.
“I think most teachers would want to reward quality,” Wiseman said. “As a former classroom teacher, it always was a problem that perhaps I felt that I was giving a lot to my teaching and my next-door neighbor was not, and we were making the same.”
Baltimore teachers union officials did not return calls for comment.
At least five states have created statewide policies promoting merit pay, and in 2006, President George Bush created the Teacher Incentive Fund to reward teachers and principals for improved student performance.
Few studies have been done to measure how effective the relatively new merit-pay system is at improving student test scores. Those that exist generally show the programs are successful. A 2007 University of Arkansas report of the first two schools in that state to use incentives shows that students’ math grades increased each year about 5 percent.
The Denver school system’s program, which was adopted in 2004, has been hailed as a model for success. Teachers have multiple financial incentives, including a 9 percent raise for earning National Board for Professional Teaching Standard certification. They can earn bonuses from $300 to $7,582.
