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Education Hopeful Favors Merit Pay for Teachers

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

By Mindy B. Hagen, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

Jun. 6--If Bob Staton becomes the next state superintendent of education, the Lexington businessman will design a merit pay program that rewards teachers based on student performance and on the progress of their schools.

Staton, one of five Republican candidates in the June 13 primary, said the bonuses would motivate teachers and could lead to greater success in the classroom.

"If I was a teacher, I'd look at it as an opportunity to be recognized for the job I was doing," said Staton, a former chairman of the state's Education Oversight Committee. "It's critical that we think of ways to make this profession more attractive for our teachers."

Staton said teachers would keep their base salary, which currently is based on years of experience and level of degree. His program would enhance that pay scale by adding bonuses based on performance, he said.

Students' academic progress throughout the year, measured through a diagnostic test, would come into play. Other benchmarks, such as the school's overall achievement and a teacher's level of involvement in activities and committees, also could be used as part of the bonus formula, he said.

Lucia Dantzler, a science teacher at Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Dorchester District 2, said she thinks educators would back the plan as long as test results aren't the only factor involved.

"It's a sticky kind of thing because what if Johnny did a terrible job on his math test because he had a major problem at home last night?" said Dantzler, a finalist for the state's Teacher of the Year award. "But if the bonuses are also based on how active a teacher is and how much they contribute to their school community, then that's not as risky."

The state Department of Education has examined a series of different teacher merit pay models during the last 20 years, Deputy Superintendent Janice Poda said. But officials have struggled to find ways to give special education, art, music and other elective educators the same ability to earn bonuses as other teachers, she said.

"Merit pay for teachers is an idea that we would all like to do, but finding a fair and equitable way to do it is something that no one has quite figured out yet," Poda said.

Several candidates battling Staton in the Republican primary said they also favor some sort of merit pay system.

Hogan Gidley, the press secretary for candidate Karen Floyd, said the Spartanburg executive "strongly" supports performance pay for teachers. Gidley did not provide details on whether Floyd has developed a specific teacher pay plan of her own, and said Floyd was in the middle of a statewide bus tour.

Floyd and Staton lead the pack in fundraising and name recognition.

Mount Pleasant's Elizabeth Moffly said she might favor merit pay based on teacher evaluations but thinks it would be a "conflict of interest" to use student performance as a determining factor since a negative result could cause resentment and harm the relationship between student and teacher.

Kerry Wood, a computer programmer from Leesville, has floated his own plan of giving bonuses to teachers who stay at high-poverty schools for five years and help improve the school's test scores. Wood said he'd also support Staton's ideas, as long as there's a system in place to prevent teachers from falsifying students' grades or scores for their own personal gain.

Mike Ryan, an assistant principal at Wando High School and Horry County councilman, did not return calls seeking comment.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

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Source: The Post and Courier

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