School & District Management News in Brief

Baltimore Contract Embraces Merit Pay, More Teacher Input

By McClatchy-Tribune — October 05, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A new Baltimore teachers’ contract, announced last week and headed to union members for a ratification vote this month, is being hailed as one of the most progressive in the nation.

It would link teachers’ pay, in part, to their students’ performance, and do away with “step” increases that are based solely on years of experience and education. It also would enable educators to move quickly through the ranks, earn up to $100,800 a year, and give them more input on the working conditions in their schools.

City schools Chief Executive Officer Andrés A. Alonso described the contract as a “huge, monumental shift” for the district, noting that many of the stipulations are unprecedented in their focus on teacher effectiveness. “Right now, teacher compensation has nothing to do with whether they are effective,” Mr. Alonso said. If teachers are producing results in the classroom, they “shouldn’t be waiting years to reap the rewards for the work that they do.”

Andrés A. AlonsoCEO of Baltimore City Public Schools

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents Baltimore educators, called it “the most professional contract I have seen.”

Under the changes, the city would give its 6,000 teachers an automatic 2 percent pay increase in the first year of the contract, which would raise the starting salary for a teacher in the district to $46,774. Teachers also would get a $1,500 stipend for signing the contract, to be paid using the recently passed federal jobs bill.

In the second and third years, teachers could receive up to a 1 percent increase and a 1.5 percent raise, respectively. However, those increases would be based on student performance, teacher evaluations, and professional development.

The contract sets up four steps for teachers to attain: standard, professional, model, and leader. In three years, a teacher who becomes a lead teacher—and there would be only one per building—could earn up to $100,800, or about as much as a principal.

State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said she hopes other districts will adopt similar contracts.

A version of this article appeared in the October 06, 2010 edition of Education Week as Baltimore Contract Embraces Merit Pay, More Teacher Input

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management 1 in 4 Students Are Chronically Absent. 3 Tools to Change That
Chronic absenteeism is a daunting problem. But district leaders aren't alone in facing it, and there are ways they can fight it.
5 min read
Empty desks within a classroom
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Opinion Lawmakers Don’t Know What Happens in Schools. Principals Can Help
School leaders must fight to take education funding off the political battlefield.
3 min read
Illustration collage of the U.S. Capitol steps with numerous silhouetted people walking up the steps. There is a yellow halo around them to show the collective power. In the background behind the U.S. Capitol is the back of a young school girl with her hand raised.
Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principals Can't Manage Teacher Morale Alone. Enter the Go-Between
Principals can't check in with every teacher. Can a go-between leader help them out?
6 min read
The concept of joint teamwork, building a team. Working people connecting pieces of puzzles. Metaphor of cooperation and staff partnership.
Anastasiia Boriagina/iStock
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Marketing To District and School Leaders at Conferences and Trade Shows?
Think you know what catches a K-12 leader’s eye at conferences? Take this quiz and test your marketing savvy.
120122 mb data conferences 1385168396
Image by Getty