One thousand Connecticut teachers could earn $3,000 bonuses for raising student achievement and reducing dropout rates if a new pay-for-performance plan is approved by the state legislature next year.
Passed by the state board of education Nov. 3, the incentive plan targets experienced teachers and would also reward them with two-year contracts that would protect them against possible layoffs. The package, proposed by state Commissioner of Education Betty J. Sternberg, also includes an “exchange” program in which urban and suburban teachers could swap districts for two years.
But the state affiliate of the National Education Association is opposing the incentive plan, saying teacher pay should be based only on experience. And the exchange program, the union argues, would create too many problems, since teacher contracts have features that are unique to each district.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell will now decide whether to include the proposals in her budget recommendation to the legislature.
