Walt, a longtime MDJ reader:
"How is an educator any different from any other professional group in having an advanced degree factored into their pay level? A businessman who earns an MBA in his field rightly sees this reflected in his compensation package. We wouldn't call that a 'perk!' That would be insulting! Please ask (Perdue spokesman) Mr. Brantley to identify those 'degree factories' he refers to. Is UGA one of them? That's where he got his master's degree in Public Administration. I know, let's just delete that from his resume and reduce his salary first!"
Leon Brewton:
"I agree with teacher pay-for-performance and a copyrighted plan that was used with success ... in some Florida private schools, academies and a public school district during the late 1980's.
"Nevertheless, a Master or Doctorate does not equal a good teacher, it shows discipline in studies and not common sense. Reasons that it will prevent the success are as follows: The union environment, the collaborative nature of teaching, the bossing ability of administrators that prevent the teachers quality and ingenuity; do as I say attitude, and finally the Board of Education members and Superintendent has guaranteed revenue from tax payers that gives them no incentives.
"For example, some notable schools in Cobb County where my friends' children attend has falsely done exceptional and the staff (teachers, etc.) has shown unwillingness to listen to parents' opinions, even when the parent(s) are PTA members. In their opinion, the parent is bucking the system and the teachers and staff start causing grief for the child and turning minor things into a larger bent out of shape issue.
"In fact, a teacher of an elementary school child told the child that 'I will make sure you get the meanest teacher and you will be in trouble.' I could not believe my God given ears for hearing it when the teacher admitted this. Needless to say, the child was taken from the public school system and placed into a private school where his performance is exceptional."
Punt Perdue:
"All pay for performance will do is breed corruption within the testing system. Already 10% of Georgia's schools are being investigated for test cheating: just wait until someone's livelihood depends upon it! Teachers will become motivated to teach to the test, fake data and kiss up to admin in hopes of being the chosen one. What incentive will teachers have to share ideas where the success of one teacher means less pay for another? And why would someone want to spend thousands of dollars plus countless hours of time taking classes on top of teaching when there is no guaranteed reward at the end? Sorry PerDON'T... you're going to chase a lot of good people out a noble profession. You're just lucky Georgia isn't unionized."
dmckee9613@aol.com
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you can compare a comapny with a school. As you implied in your paragraph you would hire a new employee based on his resume and qualification and his/her pay would be based on that as well as the level of responsabilities. Now, if that employee did not work, you could certainly fire him/her. Now, school teacher have to keep ALL employees! no matter what the resume looks like. So, having said that you want a teacher salary based on management [admisnitration] well, I guess politics will play a big role in class size and the students you may have on your roll.
I certainly wouldn't mind different grades levels of teachers, lead for example would surely get a higher salary. BUT if that lead isn't doing a good job in leading the other teachers, then masters or not she/he should be removed as the lead teacher.
Other grade levels, could teach more difficult students, could "specialize" if you will.
I do not believe an isolated 1 year view of test scores should be the only evaluation. Setting goals for a teacher with the class in mind, and evaluating how that teacher met those goals, sounds much more logical than what is there now