WHAT'S so magical about a regional average? To hear some politicians and teacher union officials tell it, one might think reaching the regional average in teacher pay is a mystical key to improving public education. Talk about wishful thinking.
A legislative interim study will look at developing a new pay system for teachers that depends at least in part on whether they're doing their jobs well. We hope the effort leads to reforms, or at least a pilot project, and doesn't wind up as just another study gathering dust. Perhaps that's wishful thinking, too.
For too long, teachers in Oklahoma have been paid based mostly on how long they've been teaching and whether they have a bachelor's or advanced degree. Some teachers get higher salaries if they teach in specialized areas such as special education or have achieved national certification. A few teachers also receive bonuses based on schoolwide test scores.
In many professional corners, getting paid based on the quality of work is a given. Get too lazy? Produce shoddy results? The paycheck will show it — if there's a paycheck at all. The Oklahoma Education Association, the state's largest teacher union, has long brushed aside suggestions of a merit-based pay system. One argument, embraced by the governor, is that the state must raise teacher pay to the regional average before even considering performance pay.
We're not averse to the idea that teachers deserve a professional wage. Gov. Brad Henry's attempts to raise teacher pay to the regional average are laudable, particularly in the case of veteran teachers who have been short-changed in the effort to raise beginning teacher pay. But as we've noted, regional average is a moving target. And there are inherent problems in setting salaries based on teacher pay rankings that have many flaws, not the least of which is failure to consider the cost of living. The regional average argument is merely a delay tactic.
Opponents of merit pay have some valid concerns. The personalities of teachers and their supervisors sometimes clash (just like in the private sector), which could lead to less-than-favorable evaluations. Some teachers work with lower-achieving students, so high test scores alone aren't evidence of "merit.”
Those are the same issues other states and school districts around the country are sorting out as they establish merit-pay programs. In Minnesota, the teacher union worked with the governor to develop a bonus-based pay plan to improve teaching and reward improved student achievement.
We find it unacceptable that the state's most talented and caring educators are often being paid the same as teachers who aren't getting the job done but remain in the classroom because of a tangled bureaucracy. Teacher groups should come to the table to hash out their concerns instead of dismissing merit pay outright.
In many professional corners, getting paid based on the quality of work is a given.
