The pilot program would be put in place at three schools that were given unsatisfactory report cards by the state. Those schools are Parker Middle School, Hollis Academy and Tanglewood Middle School. District staff said that those schools are having the most trouble with student achievement. They said that because of those problems, they have more trouble hiring good teachers. The district says it believes that an incentive program would help recruit and retain good teachers.
Good teachers go way beyond the call of duty.
Parker Middle School teacher Sandra Hunt is a fourth year science teacher. She said that she spends long hours preparing lesson plans and coming up with new ideas. Hunt said that she likes the idea of being rewarded for her hard work. But both Hunt and Lewis worry about how teachers would be evaluated. They hope that it won't be based solely on test scores.