Gov. Perdue: Teachers “excited” about new performance pay plan. Excited or incited?
The governor has written a piece explaining his new pay plan that he says has teachers “excited.” I would probably have used the word “incited,” based on the reaction here at Get Schooled.
More than 300 teachers protested the governor's cuts to education at a GAE rally last month at the Capitol. AJC Photo
In his own words…..
By: Governor Sonny Perdue
Last month I proposed a new plan that will transform the way we compensate K-12 teachers and leaders in our state. It will put them on the same playing field as our state’s top coaches who are rewarded for consistently winning games.
Our current compensation system credits our teachers only for time in the profession and the level of their advanced degree, not the degree to which our students learn. This antiquated practice encourages some of our most ambitious teachers to leave the classroom, and it prevents some of our best and brightest from ever entering the field in the first place.
The enhanced pay plan will increase the early, mid-career and lifetime earning potential of top teachers and school leaders. Doing so will help the state attract, encourage, reward and retain the best talent in our schools. New teachers will be able to earn much higher pay, much sooner. Rather than waiting 25 years for a salary that appropriately rewards their teaching abilities, effective teachers can be rewarded much earlier in their careers. Most importantly, the pay proposal will align our compensation system with the mission of our schools: academic achievement.
We developed the plan for enhanced pay after hearing from over 20,000 Georgia teachers, 80 percent of whom said they would like to be evaluated on both classroom observation and the degree to which they have helped students learn. The enhanced pay model was shaped by our Race to the Top Great Teachers and Leaders Task Force, made up of current and former teachers and leaders with more than 150 years of combined experience in our classrooms and schools.
Already 23 local school districts making up 41 percent of Georgia’s public school students have committed to a similar bonus model through the state’s federal Race to the Top application. The state will implement best practices from those districts in developing and implementing the statewide system.
Since announcing this plan, I have heard from a number of teachers, school leaders and parents that are excited about the possibility of rewarding the hard work that drives student improvement. Understandably, many also have questions about how this new system will work.
First, some have voiced concerns that teachers should not be evaluated or compensated solely on the achievement of their students. I agree. The proposed effectiveness measure will also take peer review and classroom observation into account when evaluating and rewarding a teacher for his or her performance. Most importantly, a teacher will not be judged on student’s raw achievement, but on a student’s improvement over time. This will ensure a level playing field, keeping top teachers in low-performing schools and giving teachers in high-performing schools something to strive for beyond proficiency.
Others have asked whether non-core teachers could be included in a performance pay system. I believe that non-core teachers are vital in ensuring Georgia’s students are well-rounded and our schools are successful. Non-core teachers will be eligible for performance pay and will be evaluated based on qualitative measures as we work to develop additional quantitative measures for non-core subjects.
Lastly, there is a misconception that a performance pay system will punish educators who have earned advanced degrees. I wholeheartedly disagree. Teachers who have already earned advanced degrees may remain in the current salary structure and continue to be paid for those degrees if they choose to do so. Current teachers will have the choice of opting into the new system, or remaining in the existing one.
It is time that we align our compensation system with the mission of our schools, for the good of our students, for the good of our teachers and for the good of our state.
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181 comments Add your comment
Mac
February 9th, 2010
12:02 pm
“The enhanced pay model was shaped by our Race to the Top Great Teachers and Leaders Task Force, made up of current and former teachers and leaders with more than 150 years of combined experience in our classrooms and schools.”
I would like to know the names and positions of each of these people who drafted the Race to the Top document. http://gov.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_79369762/155733684Race%20to%20the%20Top%20App.pdf
If we are going to wind up being held to this in some form or the other then the very least we deserve is to know who drafted it and what their backgrounds are.
Ms. Downey, can you or anyone at the AJC get this info? All I have been able to get is ‘committee members’ as an answer so far.
lala
February 9th, 2010
12:04 pm
“Last month I proposed a new plan that will transform the way we compensate K-12 teachers and leaders in our state. It will put them on the same playing field as our state’s top coaches who are rewarded for consistently winning games.”
OMG, well, that’s my laugh for the day. Thank goodness we are getting rid of this man. I’m not opposed to performance pay (provided that pay is based on growth.. not CRCT scores).
However, I cannot believe that he is selling this by comparing teachers to coaches! When will education exceed football in importance in this state….?
Not to mention, coaches get to pick the members of their teams, teachers (aside from gifted teachers) don’t get to have kids “try out” to be in their classes.
Maureen Downey
February 9th, 2010
12:05 pm
Mac, I will send a request to Arne Duncan’s press folks. I don’t think the info is secret as I have seen a list of some of the experts.
Maureen
Mac
February 9th, 2010
12:10 pm
I’m sorry – I mean the Georgia participants.
Thanks!
Tony
February 9th, 2010
12:35 pm
Does the word “delusional” come to anyone else’s mind?
Cobbmom
February 9th, 2010
12:40 pm
Apparently he hasn’t seen the latest info that states a child’s performance in school is based upon how education is viewed within the home, it has nothing to do with how information is presented or how well a teacher does their job. When are parents going to be held accountable?
really, seriously?
February 9th, 2010
12:44 pm
I just can’t even get fired up / incited about this. They can’t even pay our salaries TODAY, let alone in 4 years. How are we going to be able to teach effectively with 3-4 more students crammed in our room on top of the current maximum? The only growth teachers will be able to show is the physical presence of crammed students into their classrooms!!
what's right for kids???
February 9th, 2010
12:44 pm
I have no desire to be “on level: with coaches.
what's right for kids???
February 9th, 2010
12:51 pm
A way to keep parents in touch with their children’s education is for the schools to do away with extra seat time. A student gets one chance to take and pass the class for free. After that, they pay for summer school or virtual campus. I’ll bet my ever dwindling salary that parents will be much more interested in their kids’ education then!
And before you poo poo this idea, really think about it. I have three to four students every period, every semester, every year retaking the class that I am teaching. That’s a full class every year. Talk about saving money!
Just A Teacher
February 9th, 2010
12:56 pm
I still can’t find anybody who participated in this survey of 20,000 teachers. Would somebody please tell me who they are? As far as “excited” or “incited” goes, the only thing I’m excited about is getting this idiot out of office. State legislators, do us a favor and don’t “improve” our public schools anymore under Sonny’s leadership. I just don’t think we can stand anymore of his improvements.
Elizabeth
February 9th, 2010
1:01 pm
What teachers is Perdue talking to? I would like a list of names because NO educators at any level that I have talked to agree with this or want it. There are too many variables. I have never minded being accoutable for what and how I teach and how I manage my classroom. However I DO mind being accountable for the parent/ student/ administrator part. When my students come to class prepared to learn every day and work hard every day and behave every day, then and only then should I be held accountable for their growth.
Ole Guy
February 9th, 2010
1:03 pm
Don’t it pissyaoff when someone trys to tell you how you feel?
AAARRRGH
February 9th, 2010
1:12 pm
Doesn’t this guy know he’s a LAME DUCK? Go fishing already, Sonny, we’ve had enough!
Oldspartan
February 9th, 2010
1:23 pm
“The experts” term can be thrown around quite loosely when we are talking about anyone working in government. Alan Greenspan was “The expert”, and what was his statement; “uh, guess our model was wrong”. I can see/hear it now, you did a very good job, but the money that was to be your performance pay we need it to resurface the track. Education can NOT be run like a business, think about “The experts” that brought us NCLB. Think about “the experts” that brought us this new math curriculum in GA.
mrsdotcom
February 9th, 2010
1:26 pm
This will only encourage more inflated grades, dummying down of the curriculum, “cheating” on test results, and teaching only the material covered on standardized tests. You can’t pick and choose who is in your classroom. This is a very unfair way to pay teachers.
Joy in Teaching
February 9th, 2010
1:36 pm
This man is a blanking psycho.
What would happen if we based the pay of law enforcement on how much crime we have each year? But we wouldn’t provide them with a weapon or car.
Or if we based the pay of physicians on how healthy their patients are? But they would only have access to asprin, a stethoscope, and maybe an X-Ray machine.
Or if we based the pay of mental health professionals on the success rate they have with their patients? We might provide them with a clipboard.
We couldn’t. It would be ridiculous to even think about it as those are professionals who have to deal with what they are given and who cannot control much other than what is in front of them.
Yet we expect teachers to perform miracles with small humans, many of whom come to school hungry, without adequate rest, or even basic supplies. We have to feed them when they get here and many times we have to provide them with basic supplies. Many of them do not have adequate social skills and God help us if we to anything beyond a token “be quiet” in order to correct their behavior.
Society expects teachers to provide small humans with an education, but they do not give us the tools to give them that education. And now, Perdue doesn’t even want to pay us to do that because “teaching is a calling” and we should only pay those who are able to perform on a standardized test.
The last time I took a standardized test was about 14 years ago when I took the Miller’s Analogy Test in order to get into grad school. My husband hasn’t taken one in about 37 years. Life beyond school isn’t about taking standardized tests. And it takes more than just a standardized test to measure the preparedness of an individual. We are raising a generation of kids who can’t do much beyond take a standardized test and it sickens me that we have idiots in charge such as Perdue who just can’t seem to grasp that concept.
What’s next? It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he were to announce next week that 100% of all teachers in the state of Georgia fully back him in all ways and that we want him to be governor for life.
Oh wait…that’s a bad dream. Or is it?
Dick
February 9th, 2010
1:48 pm
Lord help us. You talking about politics, and dirty politics at that. I see an out break of aids in the coming years. Teacahrs will be having to kiss principle adn supers a$$s to amke sure they get the top students. God bless the teachers who are not teh supers nor principles favorite people. I think we need to pay POLITICNAS BASED on their performance.
d
February 9th, 2010
1:51 pm
I think teachers will be excited when Sonny is gone
Carter is a Fool
February 9th, 2010
2:04 pm
Two Words and Two more words. GO FISH and SHUT UP. No teacher I have talked about is excited about this. He is delusional and STUPID. He is not even honorable. He breaks the promise that the state made to the National Board Teachers and furloughs us along with now trying to rig the system to pay teachers based on the non-achievement of our lowest students. No one should have their pay held hostage based on the non-performance and non-attendance of some students we teach. We do not choose these students and cannot make them learn when their parents do not return calls or emails or participate in the process.
GO FISH and SHUT UP.
catlady
February 9th, 2010
2:07 pm
The man is clearly delusional,or needs someone to slap him back into reality instead of all the yes-men.
I can’t wait to see what he makes up next.
Mrs. Downey, did you ever get a breakdown of respondents by county? For example, it would be great to see exactly WHO saw and replied to the survey. There should be no problem in getting that information, since it should be public domain. Can’t Open Records let us in on who the respondents were? And by the way, have you had any unbiased statistical research expert examine the “fuzzy math” used to back up the Governor’s claims of teacher support, or to critique the wording of the questions?
BTW, Governor, most of those coaches work with athletes who WANT to be there–who don’t want to be kicked off the team, and whose parents want to enjoy the reflected glory of their children’s success. Kinda different than actually teaching real students in the real world.
More “leadership” from the party of the “elite.”
TAKE ACTION! E-mail our State Senators
February 9th, 2010
2:14 pm
SB 386 should not pass! If passed, your pay would likely decrease. Copy and paste the e-mail addresses below. Your State Senators need to hear your voice!
david.adelman@senate.ga.gov; robert.brown@senate.ga.gov; gail.buckner@senate.ga.gov; john.bulloch@senate.ga.gov; gloria.butler@senate.ga.gov; buddy.carter@senate.ga.gov; ronnie.chance@senate.ga.gov; jeff.chapman@senate.ga.gov; john.crosby@senate.ga.gov; hardie.davis@senate.ga.gov; john.douglas@senate.ga.gov; vincent.fort@senate.ga.gov; greg.goggans@senate.ga.gov; tim.golden@senate.ga.gov; johnny.grant@senate.ga.gov; bill.hamrick@senate.ga.gov; ed.harbison@senate.ga.gov; seth.harp@senate.ga.gov; lee.hawkins@senate.ga.gov; steve.henson@senate.ga.gov; jack.hill@senate.ga.gov; judson.hill@senate.ga.gov; george.hooks@senate.ga.gov; ralph.hudgens@senate.ga.gov; bill.jackson@senate.ga.gov; lester.jackson@senate.ga.gov; donzella.james@senate.ga.gov; emanuel.jones@senate.ga.gov; jeff.mullis@senate.ga.gov; jack.murphy@senate.ga.gov; nan.orrock@senate.ga.gov; chip.pearson@senate.ga.gov; jb.powell@senate.ga.gov; ronald.ramsey@senate.ga.gov; chip.rogers@senate.ga.gov; mail@mitchseabaugh.com; valencia.seay@senate.ga.gov; david.shafer@senate.ga.gov; freddie.sims@senate.ga.gov; preston.smith@senate.ga.gov; cecil.staton@senate.ga.gov; doug.stoner@senate.ga.gov; ed.tarver@senate.ga.gov; horacena.tate@senate.ga.gov; don.thomas@senate.ga.gov; curt.thompson@senate.ga.gov; steve.thompson@senate.ga.gov; ross.tolleson@senate.ga.gov; renee.unterman@senate.ga.gov; john.wiles@senate.ga.gov; tommie@tommiewilliams.com; don.balfour@senate.ga.gov; jim.butterworth@senate.ga.gov; bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov; dan.moody@senate.ga.gov; dan.weber@senate.ga.gov; billheath@billheath.net
Wounded Warrior
February 9th, 2010
2:15 pm
So, what kinda crack Sonny Boy been smokin? Is he gone fishin? Just wondering. He will make it madatory for 40 furlough days on top on any “pay raise” that is proposed. Can’t wait until November!!! Vote early and often!!!! Not Oxendufus
Ray
February 9th, 2010
2:16 pm
Ain’t Republican world great!
arnold
February 9th, 2010
2:25 pm
Why isn’t Gov. Perdue and all the Legislature on a “Pay for Performance” plan based on unemployment figures, bank failures, and housing foreclosures? We could even compare our state’s economic performance against the national norms like he wants to do in education.
Seems fair to me. Looks like Perdue would be advocating a “Pay for Performance” structure for the our leaders in the Executive and Legislative branches.
Spare Me Please
February 9th, 2010
2:26 pm
Mr. Perdue is not fooling anyone with his blatant pack of lies. I am a teacher who goes to work every day and for what: children who are unmotivated/lazy/unconcerned (you pick); parents who want to be their child’s friend (or mine, depending on the day of the week); administrators who are too scared to have the backs of their teachers; and a system that caters to the underclass of every race known to mankind (i’m black, so you can’t play the race card)! Come on now, what is really going on here? Why do we continue to play in the mud with the have nots? I thought cream was suppose to rise to the top-oh, that’s only on a dairy farm! Stupid me! I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH A POPULATION OF PEOPLE DETERMINING HOW I PAY MY BILLS AND TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN BASED ON THE TEST SCORES OF THEIR NON-PERFORMING, RUDE, ILL-MANNERED CHILDREN!
Katie
February 9th, 2010
2:31 pm
Like the rest of y’all, I say Sonny is on some GOOD crack, as my students would say. Merit pay, like communism, is beautiful in theory. But it doesn’t work in the real world because of the variables involved, discussed previously.
In addition to the above arguments, I also am concerned about what merit pay would do to teacher collaboration. If teachers know there’s only a certain amount of money in the pot, what incentive do they have to share best practice? Just when we are starting to see collegiality emerge as a real facet of our practice, we will all be back to hoarding our good ideas in order to get our share of the pie.
While I share Sonny’s concerns re: automatic raises for advanced degrees, some of which are laughable in their rigor, I don’t see merit pay as the answer. Why can’t we get extra pay for the extra stuff we do–mentoring or coordinating mentoring, preparing for SACS visits, sponsoring clubs, etc.? Why don’t those of us who work longer hours make more money? There’s got to be a better way than tying our salary to test scores when we don’t get to decide which kids we teach.
And, of course, I must address my pet peeve. National Board certified teachers should be generously compensated, and that compensation should be guaranteed for the life of every certificate. All of y’all who have been through the NB process know that it stands up to just about any PhD program on the planet. But we all know what happened there…..why should we trust politicians to keep their word on merit pay after what they did to the NBCT’s? What does “grandfathered” really mean?
I am SO looking forward to seeing this yahoo take a hike….
TAKE ACTION! E-mail our State Senators
February 9th, 2010
2:32 pm
Amen people! I couldn’t agree more. Take 10 minutes to e-mail your Senators.
OUR GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE, NOT HARM THE PEOPLE.
anne wilson
February 9th, 2010
2:34 pm
I think that the only person more disliked by DeKalb teachers is Crawford Lewis, DeKalb’s superintendent. That puts Sonny Perdue in rarefied company. I know teachers wish that Lewis would “go fishing” with Sonny. I’m not a teacher – just a parent.
cld
February 9th, 2010
2:49 pm
@Katie – Merit pay already exists in the real world, i.e. corporate America. And I find it funny you’re comparing it to communism, since it’s actually the opposite: in communism people are not judged by individual merits but rather by community.
I know I am in the vast minority here, and I am not a teacher. However, I do feel that merit pay is justified. Not just for teachers, but for other government officials as well. Those of us who work for public and private companies are judged and compensated (or not–teachers are not the only professionals having pay raises revoked and being subjected to pay cuts, i.e. furloughs) based on our performance each year.
One person referred to doctors not being paid based on merit. But they are. A lousy doctor will not be able to hold his clientele, and will eventually have no more patients. When the patients stop coming, so does the paycheck. And as for his supplies . . . he buys them. So you really can’t compare a self-sufficient doctor to a teacher who can not or does not supply his or her own resources.
I know I will be bashed, but I think the other side needs to be represented. Like it or not, teachers aren’t the lone victims in this day and age. The changes seen in the teaching profession are not unlike the changes everyone else is seeing. The difference? The rest of us aren’t screaming about it because we don’t feel a sense of entitlement.
what's right for kids???
February 9th, 2010
2:49 pm
Take action is right…email the senators. I did.
Jim Williams
February 9th, 2010
2:51 pm
If I couild put my head up my backside as far as Perdue has his, I might could see it his way. That would be the only way I could see it. He is an abomination as a governor.
Liberal Teacher
February 9th, 2010
2:53 pm
Ditto mrsdotcom…
Oh sure
February 9th, 2010
2:54 pm
I’ve been saying all along that ol’ Sonny would think of a way to cancel out pay based on advanced degrees and/or years of experience when I saw how he threw the National Board Teachers under the bus. What a loser. And @ Spare Me Please, amen, you are so right.
Oh sure
February 9th, 2010
2:56 pm
@cld, yes merit pay exists in corporate America, but compare their salaries to a teacher’s, and compare their product to a teacher’s.
TAKE ACTION! E-mail our State Senators
February 9th, 2010
2:56 pm
Thanks “what’s right for kids???”
Pass it along. If everyone e-mailed maybe, just maybe, they would listen.
Degreed Babysitter
February 9th, 2010
2:58 pm
This man hasn’t got a clue! I agree with lala that if you let me pick the students I’ll be teaching and the curriculum I will teach, then you can pay me based on my student’s performance. But all I get are the students (term used losely here) the administration puts in my classroom (without any input from me) and the curriculum “Someone” thought was wonderful and you’re going to grade me on my student’s performance??? Get real!!
TAKE ACTION! E-mail our State Senators
February 9th, 2010
2:58 pm
@cld,
The problem is there is no good way to gather the data. There is too much gray area.
Impervious Pearl
February 9th, 2010
3:01 pm
I am soooooo confused! Didn’t teachers vote Sonny in office and kick Barnes out. Now they want Barnes back in and any Republican out. But didn’t they want Barnes out and any Republican in? And what does this Governor have to do with the next Governor, since he can’t possibly be the next Governor? Teachers! You just gotta love ‘em. Complain about teaching your kids, but make a living teaching your kids. Vote in blocks to remove a Governor, but then complain about him when he does something that affects their paycheck….
Science Teacher
February 9th, 2010
3:01 pm
Am I understanding correctly that the same governor who says we can’t afford to reward excellence in performance (National Board Certification, which is very much merit-based) now wants to make a merit pay option available to all teachers? How does he plan to reward the masses when he refuses to reward the few he committed to rewarding?
TAKE ACTION! E-mail our State Senators
February 9th, 2010
3:01 pm
Merit pay works for people in other fields. Take for example a salesman. He/she can make as many sales calls as they please. Basically, they get to pick the people they call on. On the flip side, a teacher cannot pick his or her class. A teacher can’t control if the kid comes to school hungry and dirty or has been exposed to family violence and abuse.
E-mail the Senators! The addresses are above…
Lynn
February 9th, 2010
3:03 pm
CLD- You need to do some real research. Corporate America gets to pick their clients based on a network, prior work history or credit. In the classroom you get all types and they are not handpicked. Basing my salary on how much a student learns while moving to 3 schools in one year, being homeless or lack of parenting is not fair. Its called raise taxes and pay teachers what they are worth. As far as Doctors- you are wrong a Doctor can bounce from Job to Job with very or little consequence until they maime or kill someone.
Teacher
February 9th, 2010
3:04 pm
I am going back to UGA and adding GIFTED Education to my Sp Ed degree. That way, I would get students who can pass tests. For too many Sp Ed, not regressing is a gain. I am pleased when my students maintain what they already know. But, that will not count on a test. So, will my pay be cut in HALF?
what's right for kids???
February 9th, 2010
3:05 pm
@cld: What if the doctor was really, really, good, and told his patients to exercise, quit smoking, don’t eat high fat foods, and his pateients didn’t like it, so they did what they wanted and died. Is the doctor then blamed? Should he be sued? Should he lose his license? The doctor did his job; who’s to blame? Ask Perdue, and he would vehemently say the doctor, because the patient lost. Right???
Cutty
February 9th, 2010
3:06 pm
If we paid Sonny and the legislature based on performance, we’d be getting a refund.
Coach
February 9th, 2010
3:13 pm
My baseball coaching supplement is $2500/year. I hope the teaching salaries are based on college coaching salaries and not high school coaching salaries.
And I have yet to meet any of those 20,000 teachers that wanted merit pay. This guy is a joke and if I could afford it, I would quit teaching today.
catlady
February 9th, 2010
3:14 pm
“The governor has written a piece”—a piece of what?
@what’s right: I guess anyone whose animal died while under Sonny’s care, no matter how sick, that was Sonny’s fault and he should have had to pay them?
Shouldn't you be teaching right now?
February 9th, 2010
3:15 pm
Find it kind of funny that all these “teachers” have time to post comments. Don’t you have a job to do? Teachers SHOULD be paid based on results. If they are teaching our kids so well, then how come we are still at the bottom of the rankings of the 50 states for education?
Payback
February 9th, 2010
3:15 pm
Teachers got rid of Barnes because they got suckered into the sonny speech. Ever heard the expression “cut your nose off to spite your face”? This is a bad situation but both sides need to take a step back and breath. Add up what all the benefits are and put that back into your salary, i.e. health care, retirement benefits, 8 weeks of vacation etc. Then look at your salary. On the other side, and this goes to “cld”, how in the world could you base the pay of a teacher based on the lack of participation from the child or the parent? If you are assigned to a poor performing school because the parents are all crack heads or don’t care what little Johnny does, is it fair to “punish” the teacher with a cut salary? The teacher has no control over that.
Bob
February 9th, 2010
3:17 pm
The gov. has said that he wants teachers to be paid as coaches. Does that mean the gov. will allow classroom teachers to yell at students, belittle students, curse students, and all those things a coach can do {and most coaches do}.
I am retired so I don’t have to be subjected to the gov.’s crazy ideas.
To me, the gov. would better off examining a horse’s rear and treating the horse’s rear than trying to interject his {and his advisors} ideas into something about which they are totally clueless. Just go back to your silent methodist of goverence, and we all will be better off.
EX-Evil Old English Teacher
February 9th, 2010
3:17 pm
cld– one question: what exactly is a teachers’ product? What product do they produce?