SPECIAL REPORT: Pay for performance coming to Michigan schools

By The Center for Michigan - March 4, 2010

By John Foren

Nohemi Leake of Kalamazoo believes we should be sprinting in the Race to the Top. Maria Martinez of Wyoming, near Grand Rapids, wants to put a stop to this Race.

Think there's a consensus over President Barack Obama's Race to the Top education reform plan, which emphasizes performance-based pay for teachers and school officials?

Hardly. It's not just education experts and school employees who are all over the board in how they feel about it.

The same disparate views are echoed by everyday people whose lives don't revolve around the latest education theory. They just want to know that their kids are learning what they need to.

Anyone who has been following recent changes is school law knows that two new elements are now required to be part of the evaluation process – student performance and year evaluation. Most of our members have been held the to student performance standard for a number of year. Where we hear the most squeals are the yearly evaluation expectation.

When the teachers union and District go to the bargaining table this new expectations are to be put in the agreements – for all that have responsibility for student outcomes. That includes classroom teachers, building administrators, central office staff, and the school superintendent.

The question is – how do we do this?

Members are demonstrating anxiety over new legislation dealing with yearly teacher observations, and, with good reason. The idea of linking job performance with job evaluation is a good one. But, as in most cases the position that is responsible to make it work it work is the building principal.

So, when we were call by MEA staff a month ago to jointly develop a framework to be taken to every bargaining table in Michigan we jumped at the chance. Today, we completed our work. Now the “process” begins. MEA has to have their attorneys review our work. MASSP has taken it to leadership of MASB, MASA, and the negotiators association to begin looking at it for consideration.

I just returned from the offices of the Illinois Principals Association in Springfield, IL. There MASSP joined in partnership with their association to provide to building principals a model policy guide for the development of student handbooks.

This model guide will:

-- Search for new handbook procedures that your school needs.

-- Compare your existing handbook procedures with model handbook procedures.

-- Update your handbook for the next school year.

-- Make sure your handbook has all procedures required by law.

Michigan principals will be able to have a Michigan version of this model policy handbook after May 1st. The yearly cost for a MASSP member will be $85. For non-MASSP members, $160. The guide is written to assist building leaders K-12.

Jim,

With the impending RTTT mandate of annual evaluations starting next fall, it seems there would be an advantage to sharing publicly what different districts are doing to prepare for the implementation of evaluations that are 60% dependent on data. There was a piece yesterday in the Michigan Education Digest on what Dearborn Crestwood is doing.
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Thanks for your note. I want to inform you and others of activities Diane and I are working on regarding the new requirement that when bargaining your next teacher contract provisions must be made to have as a significant part (to be defined at the individual bargaining table) performance with the evaluation process.

From the Executive Director Jim Ballard

The next ten weeks is the season for non-renewal for school administrator employment contracts. If your contract is at risk, please call us early in the process. Please, don’t wait. More than once I’ve had members call asking for help and telling me that the Board meeting was scheduled that afternoon!

The new MDE Secure Central Registry for housing all your SB-CEUs is open for business starting March 1, 2010. Now educators can go to one source to find their SB-CEU credits and download transcripts.  The new system is explained below.  Perhaps biggest changes for administrators will be that SB-CEUs must be claimed by filling out a common online evaluation with in 30 days of receiving the notice that SB-CEUs are available, or else you will lose the credit.  So, when you get your notification email--don't procrastinate!  We at MASSP (or any other provider) won't be able to help you if you don't apply within the 30-day window.

Learned this week that in the U.S.A., one out of two people unemployed, resides(ed) in Michigan.

Our podcast about the new proposed retirement plan we recorded and published last Friday afternoon has been downloaded 1,737 since then (7 days). The number continues to grow each day.

Here's a commentary from the NASSP Executive Director, Gerry Tirrozi that recently appeared in Education Week. It's a great synopsis of the work we do. After reading it, I found myself saying, "Amen!" Here it is in case you haven't seen it yet.

Diane

'Untie my Hands': A Principal's Plea
By Gerald N. Tirrozi