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Editorials - 06/29/00Thoughts on paying teacher supplements |
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Let's get one thing straight: It is impossible to e-quately compensate excellent teachers for the vital role they play in preparing generations of children to take their places in society.
That said, we should be totally supportive of local teachers' efforts toward securing county funds to supplement their state salaries, right?
Wrong. We have a problem with a plan for supplements that would reward mediocre or even poor teachers right along with the good ones. Let's revisit our original thought about excellent teachers. Do they deserve supplements? Absolutely! Ask any parent of school-age children and you'll learn that the secret to domestic tranquility in any given year is simple: Good teachers. And there's the hitch. How can good teachers be identified and quantified? A process that includes students' test scores as well as observations by multiple administrators and includes parent and student evaluations could be one way. And if that process finds and rewards the good instructors, what happens to the ones identified as poor? With current tenure regulations, there is no mechanism short of criminal activity to remove a tenured teacher. It seems to us that if teachers want their salaries to approach those available in industry, they should be willing to have their compensation package linked to job performance as it is in the private sector. We also think that financial leadership in teacher supplements should come from the school board. Though the superintendent challenged the commissioners to match a $100 per teacher commitment, no money has yet been earmarked for supplements by the school board. If school leaders won't show teachers the money, why should commissioners? Teachers tell us Jackson County needs a supplement to remain competitive in the teacher attraction wars of the new century. And maybe we do. But we also have a drawing card other counties lack - a university that has historically specialized in teacher education. This county produces good teachers. And, Western Carolina University's staff and faculty spouses have been and continue to be a major talent pool for the school system. If teachers are going to be in such short supply that we need incentives other than our beautiful mountains, relatively low cost of living and outstanding quality of life to attract applicants, maybe we could entice them with a one-time signing bonus rather than an across-the-board supplement. The other argument in favor of teacher supplements has been used for years in a variety of situations: "Everyone else has one." The bulk of teachers' salaries is set by the state, and thanks to Gov. Jim Hunt and the state's legislators, teacher salaries are rising more sharply than those of other state employees. It would take a significant supplement to convince qualified teachers who live in this county to go somewhere else to teach. Teachers start at about $24,000 per year for 10 months work; this county's average annual income is $17,000 for 12. That's good pay for teachers who are merely warming a chair but nowhere near enough to reward the excellent ones. Four of five commissioners have promised to try and phase in supplements over the next few years. We hope any additional pay comes with some strings attached. Jackson County got positive feedback in Raleigh last week for effective and innovative alternative programs. Maybe we could march to a different drummer with regard to teacher supplements as well. Editorial policyThe opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views. |
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