District of Columbia teachers voted 1,412 to 425 last week to approve a contract that gives them a double-digit pay increase and provides Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee with the ability to award pay based on performance and more flexibility in laying off teachers.
The contract, the result of intense negotiations between Ms. Rhee and the Washington Teachers’ Union, also involved American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who helped the local affiliate at the bargaining table, and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who served as a mediator.
The new contract includes compensation for a voluntary, individual performance-pay system, which will be paid for over a five year period using $64.5 million contributed by several foundations. (“Foundations to Subsidize Merit Pay in D.C. Teachers’ Pact,” April 21, 2010.)
