Ironically, lawmakers fail to realize that teachers are compensated only for the days we actually work. We receive no paid holidays, as many in the corporate world do. Even our leave in the summer is uncompensated. Imagine if employers took away two weeks of pay from their employees at Christmas, a week at Thanksgiving, a week at Spring Break, and eight weeks in the summer. The economy would collapse.
I wonder how many lawmakers suffered six furlough days from their full-time positions. I assume very few, as several outright refused to take their own "state mandated" furlough days. Their excuse: too confusing. The reality: the very cuts they have made for others are good for everyone except themselves.
Now the Legislature considers a new plan: Pay for Performance, with unanswered questions looming. Will they measure "performance" through a growth model or a single test? How much money will they spend to create these tests, which typically cost millions of dollars? What happens to gifted student programming? Such students won't show yearly gains comparable to their counterparts because of their already high achievement as a whole. Will their teachers miss out on pay increases? What about teachers whose students show tremendous gains, yet still fail standardized tests?
Finally, the plan proposes to no longer pay teachers more when they receive advanced degrees. Proponents claim there's no research to show such degrees result in higher performance.
I challenge them, however, to provide me research that proves otherwise. Every day in my classroom I draw upon knowledge gained as a result of my Bachelor of Arts in Communication, my Master of Arts in Teaching and my Specialist degree in gifted education. I teach Newspaper Journalism, Yearbook Journalism and Gifted/Honors 9th grade Literature and Composition. Surely, lawmakers don't think a teacher who isn't journalistically trained would better serve my students. Surely, lawmakers aren't suggesting that Georgia gifted students do not deserve a teacher specifically trained to meet their emotional, social and cognitive needs?
Surely, lawmakers aren't fooling Georgia parents into believing that their children do not deserve teachers formally trained in the strategies, psychology and philosophy of teaching?
The plan is contingent upon Race to the Top funds, one-time monies from the United States Department of Education. When these funds dry up, do the Pay for Performance increases disappear from the budget in the same manner in which lawmakers dismissively cut funding for National Board Certification teachers? Given the Legislature's shady recent history with these matters, the answer is a resounding, obvious "Yes."
Nonetheless, I'm willing to give Pay for Performance a fair shot, if lawmakers are too. Let them start by paying themselves for their own performance. Pay them only for votes that go their way. Cap their paychecks if they don't bring a certain number of bills that become laws to the legislative floor each year. Give them raises only if a certain percentage of their constituency follows every state law. Who would want to be a legislator?
Lawmakers are driving effective, passionate teachers out of the profession by their ill-advised attempts to "better" a field in which legislators have no professional training. I invite them to visit my school and my classroom any day. They will find teachers working long, grueling hours all because we want to see our students perform at the top level - and doing so without a "Pay for Performance" model.
Meanwhile, we have our own Pay for Performance plan for legislators. Paychecks will be delivered at polls on Nov. 2. Choose wisely how you perform this legislative season, legislators. Your futures depend upon it.
Chris Canter is a 2010 STAR Teacher at Pope High School in east Cobb, where he teaches English.
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If there is no pay cut for teachers with the proposed 4 day school week, would there really be enough cost saving measures (buses, electricity, subs)involved to balance the huge deficit Cobb is having to deal with? And, do you think the public would welcome paying teachers the same salaries for a 4 day week as they were being paid for a 5 day week? And can I sell you some beachfront property in Nebraska?
Ask Mr. Sanderson about his recent $25,000 pay increase, and then hear the chimes ring on the cash register. And that is on top of his $200,000 salary that is in addition to his retirement pay. Also, if we have schools go to a four-day week, doesn't that mean that teachers, potentially, could be told they are up for a 20% pay cut? If they work 5 days a week now, and go to 4 days, wouldn't that mean a sizable cut in pay? If you think you hear gnashing of teeth because of 4 furlough days and 2% pay cut, try a 4-day calendar for a full school year - that's 36 additional furlough days!
Oh well, at least teachers would have plenty of time to grade their papers, do lesson plans to hand in to administrators, map out the semesters, complete scope and sequence charts, write IEPs, call parents, schedule conferences, compose assessments, reflect on their previous lessons ... Get the picture?
You are right, however...the curriculum should not be dummed down...the teachers should keep the rigor high and forge ahead, not phased by those students who opted to take a class they shouldn't have. I only wish we would have administration's support when we did that.
I am very happy to go to a merit system if it takes issues like these into account and addresses them.
If you will calm down a minute and think about it, what Mr. Canter is trying to say is, "Why have the teachers had to bear 100% of the burden of the tax concessions? Isn't there a more equitable way to solve Georgia's economic crisis?" Today we hear that Georgia's college students are facing a 77% increase in tuition. Wait until the parents hear this! Now the focus has shifted away from the teachers and onto the students - at least the high school students who are soon to matriculate at Georgia's institutions of higher learning.
We need, as a state, to take a hard, hard look at alternative to taking away pay from the easy targets: teachers, state employees, and now, college students. What about an across the board tax increase that all Georgians can share? Why is this not being discussed? Is it possibly because our legislators do not want to lose their cushy jobs? But if all is fair in good times AND in bad times, then let's think about fair ways to raise monies and quit picking on those who have already given their minds, bodies, and souls to the youth of Georgia.
Over the past two years the CCSD budget has been cut by $180 million. Over the same time, AYP performance and test scores have improved.
And just because you want to be a professional student means you should get more money? I agree with another here- show me what you got. You bring more to the table and take on more responsibility and I am all for more money. But just because you have an MS or PhD does not mean you should be paid more, you have to earn it. The proof is in the pudding. Just going to school should not equal more money without question. I guess if I had a degree in education and a masters in animal husbandry and taught 2nd grade I should make more than everyone else? Right? And to the studies, where are the studies that show teachers with advanced degrees are more effective and the students are higher achievers? I want good third party studies, not ones done by teacher unions.