Drawing heavily on research by Professors Michael Podgursky of the University of Missouri and Dale Ballou of the University of Massachusetts, the article explores the various ways in which the uniform pay scale hurts teacher quality, and suggests that raising pay for all teachers is not likely to solve the teacher quality problem. A Layman's Guide . The Philadelphia Board of Education has proposed an overhaul of teacher pay in the district. The Board's plan would eliminate automatic raises based on experience and replace them with a career ladder which would reward teachers for specific abilities and for producing student achievement. Union president Ted Kirsch explained that no matter the process, merit pay is inherently unfair.
Teachers are also eligible for bonuses based on improvements in school performance.
John Grossman, president of the union, predicted that no teacher will volunteer for the Performance Advancement System if it uses proficiency tests to gauge performance, though this would mean passing up the chance at a bonus with no risk of losing money. In an op-ed which appeared in last Friday's Washington Post, Jay Mathews offered a novel solution. Districts can add job openings by filling out an online questionaire. While making information about jobs available online is undoubtedly a good thing, the website won't do much to address the teacher quality problem.