Post by title1parent on Jul 24, 2009 7:23:48 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=309002&src=
Others should follow Torres' example
Daily Herald Editorial 7/24/09
When Superintendent Jose Torres turned down an $8,140 pay raise and encouraged other Elgin Area School District U-46 administrators to do the same, maybe he was leading by example.
Or maybe he was setting up a showdown that would be played out when teacher contract negotiations start next year.
Either way, he's sending the right message. We've taken other school boards and superintendents to task for granting or accepting big raises when many are unemployed or making less.
We're happy to applaud a civic leader for doing the right thing. We urge every public school district leader to do the same until the biggest challenges of this economy pass. That's happening in the private sector, where most taxpayers who finance public salaries work.
In fact, we believe this is the time for school boards and unions to refashion teacher pay structure to better reflect principles used in private business. This was the thrust of a series of recommendations issued this summer by Advance Illinois, a panel led by former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar and former U.S. Commerce Secretary Democrat Bill Daley. Among them:
• Evaluate teachers based on performance and impact on student achievement.
• Eliminate automatic pay raises for advanced degrees or certification, which do not necessarily translate to improved classroom performance.
• Tie raises to things that boost quality such as expanded calendars, coaching and mentoring.
Teachers say evaluating classroom performance is tricky. We agree that you can't simply judge a teacher by the way students perform on tests. But, in reality, it shouldn't be that different from evaluating the work of any professional. Supervisors know who's good and who needs to improve. The best teachers should be rewarded. The others should be motivated. Current contracts based on years of service and level of education stand contrary to the education system's culture that rewards achievement.
We previously praised teachers, administrators and school board members in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 for taking the right approach with contracts that go without base raises next year, in light of the economy. Both provide raises for education and longevity.
However, consider other deals sealed around the suburbs this year:
• Geneva District 304 boosted base pay .58 percent in a three-year contract that also offers raises of about 3 percent a year for added education.
• Indian Prairie Unit District 204 OK'd annual base pay raises of 2 percent.
• Palatine District 15 approved a three-year deal with base salary raises of up to 1.9 percent.
• In Woodland District 50, administrator pay is frozen, but teachers get a base raise and bonuses for education and longevity.
We fear school boards still don't get it. When taxpayers are taking pay cuts or losing jobs, even a 2 percent raise sounds out of line. Jose Torres seems to get it. We hope others follow his lead.
Others should follow Torres' example
Daily Herald Editorial 7/24/09
When Superintendent Jose Torres turned down an $8,140 pay raise and encouraged other Elgin Area School District U-46 administrators to do the same, maybe he was leading by example.
Or maybe he was setting up a showdown that would be played out when teacher contract negotiations start next year.
Either way, he's sending the right message. We've taken other school boards and superintendents to task for granting or accepting big raises when many are unemployed or making less.
We're happy to applaud a civic leader for doing the right thing. We urge every public school district leader to do the same until the biggest challenges of this economy pass. That's happening in the private sector, where most taxpayers who finance public salaries work.
In fact, we believe this is the time for school boards and unions to refashion teacher pay structure to better reflect principles used in private business. This was the thrust of a series of recommendations issued this summer by Advance Illinois, a panel led by former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar and former U.S. Commerce Secretary Democrat Bill Daley. Among them:
• Evaluate teachers based on performance and impact on student achievement.
• Eliminate automatic pay raises for advanced degrees or certification, which do not necessarily translate to improved classroom performance.
• Tie raises to things that boost quality such as expanded calendars, coaching and mentoring.
Teachers say evaluating classroom performance is tricky. We agree that you can't simply judge a teacher by the way students perform on tests. But, in reality, it shouldn't be that different from evaluating the work of any professional. Supervisors know who's good and who needs to improve. The best teachers should be rewarded. The others should be motivated. Current contracts based on years of service and level of education stand contrary to the education system's culture that rewards achievement.
We previously praised teachers, administrators and school board members in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 for taking the right approach with contracts that go without base raises next year, in light of the economy. Both provide raises for education and longevity.
However, consider other deals sealed around the suburbs this year:
• Geneva District 304 boosted base pay .58 percent in a three-year contract that also offers raises of about 3 percent a year for added education.
• Indian Prairie Unit District 204 OK'd annual base pay raises of 2 percent.
• Palatine District 15 approved a three-year deal with base salary raises of up to 1.9 percent.
• In Woodland District 50, administrator pay is frozen, but teachers get a base raise and bonuses for education and longevity.
We fear school boards still don't get it. When taxpayers are taking pay cuts or losing jobs, even a 2 percent raise sounds out of line. Jose Torres seems to get it. We hope others follow his lead.