Kudos to E4E!

A powerful group of teachers more concerned with kids' futures than with the fine print of their labor contract is making leaders of their union very nervous.

The nonprofit Educators 4 Excellence -- which just doubled is membership to some 1,300 after landing a $160,000 grant from the influential Gates Foundation -- has become such a force that UFT President Michael Mulgrew was spurred to meet its members last night.

The group favors several proposed changes that have made labor leaders gag, including:

* Awarding merit pay to individual teachers, rather than all teachers in schools that improved their performance.

* Toughening the requirements for tenure -- so the lifetime job guarantee doesn't go to educators who hang on for years doing the minimum to avoid being fired.

* Getting rid of the seniority system -- so layoffs can be based on teachers' effectiveness rather than on how long they've been working.

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