There is a push across the country to have performance based pay for teachers. I am not aware of any school in Nebraska doing this right now. The difficulty is comparing the performance of a physical education or art teacher to that of a math or english teacher. Schools can use student performance measures on state or local assessments (my preference would be for measuring student growth during the year) to determine the success of a teacher in academic based areas, but there are no such measures for the fine arts or vocational areas.
The Nebraska Association of School Administrators released the following information this morning:
TEACHER PAY: Working a late session night, the Legislature gave
first-round approval to LB 1014, Senator Haar’s priority bill, on a 35-2
vote.
LB 1014 establishes the Teacher Performance Pay Fund to consist of rental
income from solar and wind leases on school lands. As amended, the fund
would be capped at $10 million for purposes of providing performance pay.
Funds would not become available for such purpose until the 2016-17 school
fiscal year. Funds would be distributed to districts on a pro rata share
beginning in 2016 if, and only if, a specific condition is met.
In an important compromise amendment, offered tonight by Senator Deb
Fischer, the funds would not be distributed in 2016 UNLESS at least 75% of
all school districts have included a system for teacher performance pay
within their respective local collective-bargaining agreements BY January
1, 2014.
The Commissioner of Education is to collect data from each district to
determine whether at least 75% of all districts have included a system for
teacher performance pay within their respective local
collective-bargaining agreements. If the required percentage has not been
met, the commissioner would notify the State Treasurer and the fund
distribution would not commence in 2016.
LB 1014 defines “teacher performance pay” as a systematic process for
measuring teachers’ performance and linking the measurements to changes in
teacher pay. Indicators of teacher performance may include, but limited
to, improving professional skills and knowledge, classroom performance or
instructional behavior, and instructional outcomes. Teacher performance
pay may include predetermined bonus amounts and payout criteria. The
funds are to be used as a supplement to the salary schedule provided in
local collective-bargaining agreements.
The bill includes what might be considered intent language that teacher
performance pay measurements, criteria, and payout amounts are MANDATORY
topics of collective bargaining. If a district has not included a system
for teacher performance pay within its local collective-bargaining
agreement, the amount of supplemental funds otherwise to be allocated to
the district would be returned to the State Treasurer within one month of
receipt of the funds.
LB 1014 amends the school finance formula (TEEOSA) to permit a district to
exceed its general fund budget of expenditures (spending lid) in school
fiscal years 2016-17 and 2017-18 for amounts received for teacher
performance pay. This, of course, is assuming that funds would commence
to be distributed in 2016 as specified by the condition in the Fischer
amendment.
