My Sunday column hit a nerve with school teachers who: objected to merit pay as unfair; said the nationally low level of teacher pay means a pay raise shouldn’t come with any conditions, such as a longer school year; and think I shouldn't have commented on their working conditions because I haven't experienced them.
It's true, as several people pointed out, I'm not a school teacher. I've talked to many of teachers, principals and superintendents about schools over the years, but I don't compare that to the experience of a classroom teacher. My column was written from the perspective of a taxpayer, and I qualify there.
In my conversations with educators over the years, I’ve often heard that the strong majority of teachers are making the grade. They are dedicated, hard-working and deserving. I think that’s right. Teachers also have told me that they can easily identify the small minority of their coworkers who do not have control of their classrooms, are not challenging their students and (I would add) who do not deserve merit pay.
My personal experience of public schools – as a student, many years ago – is about the same. Most of my teachers were excellent. A small minority were not.
I love the public school system. Next to my parents, there’s has been no more powerful earthly force in my life. If I have done anything of note, it is because of the public schools that the people of Oklahoma (and briefly Illinois) supplied to me.
Is it fair to the majority of excellent teachers to get the same across-the-board pay raises as the minority of teachers who don’t perform?
More important, is it fair to future students to give those few lesser teachers economic incentive to stay in the profession?
Several teachers argued that it is impossible to fairly evaluate merit. I disagree, but I will say that it will be very difficult, and we do very difficult things in our society. The Tulsa Public School system effort (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) to build a better evaluation system with teacher buy-in is exciting because it offers an opportunity to get to where we need to be.
As I said in the column, the Gates tool isn't ready to roll, so merit pay will have to wait.
Teachers are underpaid in Oklahoma and deserve more.
Our Aug. 27 editorial on state Superintendent Janet Barresi’s pay raise proposal said as much and I agree.
Is it wrong for taxpayers to expect something, such as a longer school year, in exchange for raises to underpaid teachers? I don't think so. In fact, I'd argue that the chances for the raise being appropriately funded by the Legislature would be substantially better if the plans were paired.
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