What if for every "A" that you got in class your teacher got a raise, despite the fact that it was you who stayed up studying all night and read that awful textbook? Or what if they got paid less if you failed every test because you were busy doing everything but studying? Both would suck, but if you have any respect for educators, the latter would be worse.
Although it's a different ballgame here at a university, the life of K-12 teachers still matters. After all, those teachers helped us get here.
That's why we were disappointed in Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida when he decided to implement "E-Comp," a plan that bases the salary of K-12 teachers on standardized test scores.
According to the plan, "outstanding" teachers must receive a 5 percent supplement of their base salary. But what defines "outstanding" anyway? Is it a hardworking teacher whose students did nothing but learn material for standardized tests? What if an equally hardworking teacher works in a low-income school with few resources?
Izzy Sanabria, a ninth-grade reading teacher at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Fla., shares some concerns.
"This may get teachers to teach for the test, as opposed to teaching so that a student may develop a further interest in that subject and a possible career."
He adds, "My reading student also has a language arts teacher. If a student passes or shows significant gains, who gets the bonus?"
Sanabria went on to add that paying teachers based on student scores could cause tension amongst educators who teach low-level students.
This plan is a bit similar to Arizona's own Proposition 301, through which 40 percent of funding must be used for teacher compensation based on performance and expenses in relation to the classroom. But Florida's E-Comp requires that a 10 percent quota of teachers who teach FCAT subjects be filled by school districts. Only 10 percent of teachers would receive the 5 percent bonus.
The efforts of other "outstanding" teachers would be ignored as their colleagues got raises, again causing tension. And what about teachers who don't teach the subjects of the standardized test? Their efforts would be insignificant to the state, making their existence seem, well, not there.
Unions such as the Florida Education Association, which is affiliated with the National Education Association, have already rejected E-Comp.
The FEA's Web site says, "We don't believe this plan is effective compensation...we seek professional compensation for ALL teachers..."
It's a disgrace that as teachers are still significantly under-paid, states are persistent on disrespecting the work and dedication of educators. As if being responsible for the education of the future's leaders isn't enough.
