The nation’s largest teacher merit-pay program fell victim to budget cuts this year, as Texas lawmakers slashed 90 percent of its funding. About 180,000 teachers—more than half the state’s total—will receive bonus checks this fall, but over the next two years, money will be available for only 18,000 bonuses. The state is spending $392 million in the current two-year budget on the District Awards for Teacher Excellence program; it will spend $40 million next year.
A version of this article appeared in the July 13, 2011 edition of Education Week as Merit Pay Loses to Budget
