Salary Hikes, Free Laptops, and Steelers’ Fans Who Teach

Teacher Magazine ’s take on education news from around the Web, Jan. 19-25.

Start packing your bags: This could the year you finally get to go on that cruise. Thanks to brimming revenues and election-year dynamics, in at least a dozen states governors are asking for pay hikes for teachers , with proposals ranging from across-the-board raises to minimum-salary increases and performance incentives. Perhaps the most generous package comes from Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who wants to give teachers a 4 percent raise and a $100 gift card for classroom supplies, as well as underwrite a portion of their health insurance premiums. Still, you might want to wait on those cruise tickets: Some teachers’ union officials say the proposed increases won’t make up for the nonexistent-to-paltry raises in recent years. “This is better, but not good enough,” said Merchuria Chase Williams, president of the...