San Diego school superintendent Terry Grier says teachers should get paid a bonus if they work at struggling schools or if their students do well on state tests. But the local teachers union disagrees. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
Paying teachers extra money to achieve certain academic goals has long-been a controversial topic.
But Grier says he supports incentive pay. He points to a merit-pay program he spearheaded in North Carolina which brought more math teachers to low-performing schools.
Grier -- speaking on KPBS Radio's These Days program -- hinted at bringing a similar program to San Diego. He says teachers deserve more money.
Grier : People right here in our own community don’t realize how many of our good teachers -- middle-career and late-career teachers -- work second jobs. We don't pay our teachers. You could double the salaries of every teacher in California, and you still wouldn’t pay them enough.
Local teachers union leaders say they don't like merit-pay because it pits teachers against one another, resulting in low morale. They say they’ll block any attempt to bring merit-pay to the district.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
