NYC SCHOOLWIDE BONUS PLAN TO REWARD TEACHERS AT SCHOOLS THAT RAISE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Stop the presses!  This is really innovative and bold!

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Randi Weingarten today announced an historic agreement to award cash bonuses to teachers at high-needs schools that raise student achievement. The  schoolwide bonus program, a cash incentive program, will be implemented in about 200 of the City’s highest-needs schools during the current school year,  and expanded to roughly 400 schools in the 2008-09 school year. Schools participating in the program whose students achieve significant measurable academic progress will receive bonus money, which they will distribute  directly to teachers and other United Federation of Teachers (UFT) members.  Schools that are not successful in meeting the performance benchmarks will receive no additional funds.

It's really quite remarkable the enormous innovation that's happening in education all across New York City: the REACH program launched two days ago, some of the best charter operators in the country expanding (or, in the case of Green Dot, coming) here, Teach for America huge and growing, and the best mayor/chancellor team in the country (keep an eye on Fenty/Rhee, however, and maybe Booker and whoever he picks someday) relentlessly pushing the ball forward -- you name it, it's happening here!  Very exciting...
 
I gotta tip my hat to Randi for getting behind this:

“This  schoolwide bonus program recognizes and builds upon the UFT’s core philosophy that students learn, achieve and benefit most when all educators in a school collaborate to provide the best possible education,” said UFT President  Weingarten. “It properly refocuses the misguided debate over individual merit  pay. Respecting and understanding the importance of teamwork and collaboration is precisely why the UFT enthusiastically supports this schoolwide initiative  and has consistently opposed the idea of individual merit pay for teachers –  especially when based solely on student test scores.”

For all the flak she gets from reformers (some of it well deserved, to be sure), it's hard for me to think of a major teacher union leader who's more progressive: launching two charter schools, inviting Green Dot here, not taking shots at REACH yesterday and now this.  We could do a lot worse -- just ask our friends in LA, Newark and DC, for example.

It is going to be fascinating to see how these committees distribute the money:

Each  participating school will have a four member “compensation committee,” which will decide how to distribute the funds. Each school will receive enough money to give each full-time UFT educator $3,000. While compensation committees could distribute the funds evenly to all UFT members, they could also differentiate those bonuses based on individual contributions. The  compensation committee at each school will include the principal, a designee of the principal, and two UFT members chosen by the UFT members of the school.  The committees’ work will reinforce the teamwork concept that is built into this program. Members of the committee must reach agreement on how to distribute the funds before any funds are sent to the school.  

My bet: at most schools, they'll duck the tough decisions and spread it around evenly, but at least this will be extra comp for teachers at high-needs schools, a much-needed step!
 
Finally, kudos to those who funded this program:

In its first year,  participating educators will be eligible to receive about $20  million in bonuses. These dollars are being raised privately and, so far, commitments have been made by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the  Robertson Foundation and the Partnership for New York  City.

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MAYOR BLOOMBERG, CHANCELLOR KLEIN AND UFT PRESIDENT WEINGARTEN
ANNOUNCE SCHOOLWIDE BONUS PLAN TO REWARD TEACHERS
AT SCHOOLS THAT RAISE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

http://www.nycp.org/pressReleases/2007/pr_101707_bonus4teachers.html
 
           Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Randi Weingarten today announced an historic agreement to award cash bonuses to teachers at high-needs schools that raise student achievement. The schoolwide bonus program, a cash incentive program, will be implemented in about 200 of the City’s highest-needs schools during the current school year, and expanded to roughly 400 schools in the 2008-09 school year. Schools participating in the program whose students achieve significant measurable academic progress will receive bonus money, which they will distribute directly to teachers and other United Federation of Teachers (UFT) members. Schools that are not successful in meeting the performance benchmarks will receive no additional funds. In addition, the DOE and UFT today agreed to resolve a number of outstanding pension-related issues. The Mayor was joined at today’s announcement by City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. and President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City Kathryn Wylde.