Good Headlines, Bad Bottom Line

NEA Today, Feb 2004

IF YOU THOUGHT former Minnesota Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura was an "X-treme" kind of guy, take a look at the education plan of Minnesota's current governor, Tim Pawlenty. He has proposed replacing teachers at underachieving schools with "super teachers" who, if they succeed in raising test scores, could earn up to $100,000 a year in salary and bonuses. The trade-off? "Super teachers" would have to waive union rights including tenure and job protection, says Pawlenty, so "we can hire who we want, fire who we want, and assign them when we want and how we want."

So, how do teachers feel about a gold-for-grades system with educators serving at the state's pleasure?

"The governor continues to come up with proposals that make good headlines," says Education Minnesota President Judy Schaubach. "But he has failed to come to grips with many fundamental steps that need to be taken to raise student achievement. Every child deserves a super teacher. We need to increase compensation for all teachers so that we retain our quality teaching force and attract bright new teachers into the profession." Other ingredients for success include small class sizes, parental involvement, up-to-date materials, "and students who show up."