Tie teacher pay to the academic progress of students? Is this a good idea or what?

Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to base Georgia teacher pay on overall effectiveness with “50 percent of that being the academic progress of an individual teacher’s students.” Georgia teachers currently are paid based on education and experience.

It’s part of the state’s proposal to get a $400 million federal handout from the Obama administration’s $4 billion pot for states that can come up with plans “to accelerate student gains with reforms that could be duplicated across the country” and “outline how they would use the money,” according to the AP.

Surveys by the state recently have shown more than 80 percent of 20,000-plus teachers responding supported the plan, Perdue said in unveiling it — but he has provided no details or actual data from any polls. His proposal would allow teachers to opt in to the merit program or stay in the current system, but all teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2014 would be enrolled in the new system whether they agreed or not.

Of course, Perdue’s term ends in early 2011 when his successor is sworn in, three years before his new plan would go into effect — if it gets through the General Assembly in this election year. But lame duck or not, Perdue is looking at big holes in the state education budget and $400 million from Washington (courtesy of the taxpayers) would go a long way toward plugging those holes.

Call it the Georgia budget relief plan.