A tentative contract has been reached for teachers in the Newark public school system, allowing for merit pay bonuses funded mainly through a $100 million grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, a union official said.
The contract allows for up to $12,500 in bonuses tied to performance evaluations, said Newark Teachers Union President Joseph Del Grosso, making it the first in New Jersey to tie the pay of public school teachers partly to how well their students perform.
The 37,400-student district has long struggled to improve its schools and has been under state control for years. Its last teachers’ contract expired in 2010.
Union members will vote on the contract Oct. 29.
