<center>Letters to the Editor</center>

Performance-based pay plan must be well-crafted

Editor:

When it comes to performance-based pay, the Arizona Education Association has been consistent and concise. And yet, our position has often been manipulated and unfairly maligned. Allow me to set the record straight.

We fully support performance-based pay. We believe that a well-crafted plan will reward excellent teaching and boost student learning.

How we define and implement that plan has stirred a flurry of activity on school campuses and at the Arizona Legislature. At stake is how we divide $105 million a year among teachers.

Consistently, the AEA has asked that performance-based pay plans be:

Developed within a collaborative process with teachers, administrators, school boards, parents and education activists working together.

Rooted in local control. There should not be an edict from the Arizona Department of Education or the Arizona Legislature that narrowly defines or micro-manages what performance-based pay is.

Flexible. Depending on the dynamics of its staff and student population, each school or district will have different needs. The plan should be fluid enough to meet the changing needs of the school as performance expectations evolve.

Attentive to the need for professional development. Give instructors the time and tools they need to become better teachers.

Where AEA differs from some of our legislative and education colleagues is deciding what criteria are used to reward teachers. For instance, should we measure results or progress? There are those who think teachers should be compensated based on how well their students perform on standardized tests. We disagree.

If we reward teachers based on student test scores, who will want to teach average, marginal or special needs students? Another danger in rewarding test results is that teachers will teach the test, which would compromise genuine teaching and learning.

The AEA believes that teachers should be rewarded based on academic progress. Showing improvement provides an incentive for students and teachers. To students, it sends the message that learning is not an academic destination but a lifelong journey. To teachers, it rewards instructors who demonstrate that their students are making strides.

Performance-based pay should also be based on a combination of individual, school and district achievements. Unquestionably, high quality teachers who bring an expertise to the classroom should be rewarded specifically for their talents. We also recognize that students aren’t educated in isolation. Since raising student performance is the ultimate goal, the achievements of the entire staff should take precedence over the accomplishments of an individual.

One additional thought. In that flurry of legislative activity surrounding performance-based pay, one bill is worth noting. House Bill 2434 has our full support. The amended bill adds clarity to what performance-based pay is and offers school districts great flexibility in designing pay plans. We encourage House and Senate members to support it.

Penny Kotterman, President

Arizona Education Association

Penny Kotterman is president of the 30,000 Arizona Education Association, the professional association of teachers and school employees. She has been a teacher for 22 years and has taught special education at the elementary, middle- and high school levels. She is currently on leave from her position as a special education teacher in the Kyrene school district.

Withholding veterans’

retirement income unfair

Editor:

Over the past twenty years, the government has withheld many disabled veterans’ earned retirement income, offsetting it against disability payments made for injuries sustained during military actions. As many veterans of World War II and Korea are in their 70’s and are passing away at the rate of 1000 per day, I think it is now time to rectify this unfairness. I have written members of Congress over these many years and the issue has always been budget constraints and the huge national debt. The president is presently presenting a tax reduction of over $1.6 trillion dollars for the country as a whole, yet has been hesitant to address this vital issue to our active military and the many veterans who have been disabled. The present House and Senate Budget committees are now convening regarding this matter and media attention could be crucial in finally correcting this issue.

Sincerely,

William Jung

Flagstaff