City Teachers Will Collect Record Bonuses for High Marks

New York City public schools are performing so well according to the DOE's assessment that the performance bonuses earned by teachers is bursting the budget. With 97% of elementary and middle schools earning A's or B's in their annual grades from the Department of Education, yesterday it was revealed that such high marks meant the city would have to shell out $33 million in bonuses, almost twice last year's total despite a slimmer budget and two million over the program's budget before high schools are even accounted for. One education consultant told the News, "It's clear the bonuses are a complete waste, with the reading and math exams becoming easier and easier."

The bonuses that went out to school's receiving high marks average out to $3,000 a teacher. Principals and administrators at the top 20% of schools will also take in in $5.8 million in bonuses. The teacher's union says that they were flexible to scrapping the program with so many budget cuts coming rather than see other, more vital areas get slashes. TWU President Michael Mulgrew said, "I don't think [the bonuses] makes a difference. A teacher is always going to do what needs to be done."

The 2009 bonus total is an even bigger bite out of the budget when you factor in that last year's initial round of bonuses were funded by a private donor. The News says that the RAND Corporation is currently doing a study to assess whether Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg's grading and bonus program has been a success. A professor at Columbia's Teacher College told the Post, "The money went up solely because the test scores went up and we do have questions about whether those increases in test scores are legitimate."

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By Billy Parker in News on September 5, 2009 10:45 AM

Comments [rss]

ANGRYGOD11

Bonus pay sounds like a good idea, until teachers start trying to get the dumb kids out of their classrooms ,by any means necessary, to protect their stats/bonuses.

WestVillageVintage

Ummm, for some time now principals have been receiving bonuses based on test scores. You better believe principals have been showing unwanted students the door.

JacqueMehoff

notice all these releases are coming out now, in an election year. releases on what NEEDS to be done, how about what NEEDS to be done eight years ago??????

yeah, rampant development needed to be done. crazy schemes like the sale of Stuy town and PCV, ha!

Again, what about the 4 year graduation rate? the Regents Diploma rate. Does our schools prepare students for college, you know college where if you're too stupid for ENG 101 you take a remedial class to catch up with other students from the Nation.

calypsojpants

I am absolutely in favor of hard-working teachers receiving bonuses. However, the grades this year are ludicrously high. IN fact, I think the grades are always arbitrary and rarely reflect anything significant. There must be a better way to mete out bonuses.

PLus, there are thousands of us new teachers (or experienced teachers from other areas) who want jobs in the NYC system and cannot be hired, supposedly because the limited budget necesitated a hiring freeze. And now they are handing out millions? Thanks Klein.

Tomale

1. I have been a middle school math teacher for the past 6 years. I have graded the NYS math tests for over 5 years. The tests are not becoming "easier and easier." If you compare a 2003 and 2009 Grade 8 Math test, you will see that the difficulty level is the same.

http://www.edinformatics.com/testing/ny.htm

2. Merit pay has long been opposed by the teacher unions. However, the Obama administration is a strong proponent of this system. The culture of testing needs to be fixed but please do not portray hard working teachers who follow the rules of the system as undeserving cheats.

3. $33 million dollars is a burden for taxpayers in this economy. However, would you rather use taxpayer money to pay for the bonus of just one Wall Street executive?

TrippinJoJo

idiocracy

JacqueMehoff

what did you expect, when kids are allowed to use calculators.

and, what's that 4 year graduation rate again? or the Regents diploma rate?

inoyourider

I think this is setting a bad precedent.

Shouldn't have made the tests/work easier.

Rfive

remember, its an election year... schools are performing well....kids do better (an INCREASE in scores!)...crime drops...teachers get more $$$...

VOTE BLOOMBERG!!!

not.

Mr Mel

If those kids can get legitimate higher marks, then it's worth the money. We're talking NYC teachers here, compared to some suburban school districts, they're paid below the poverty line.

Mr. Know-It-All

Well below the poverty line? Do you have any idea what poverty income is? New York City teachers, despite the mythology perpetuated by the union, are not underpaid. A first-year teacher with a masters degree makes over $50,000 for working 180 days--about 40 weeks. He or she can make considerably more than that with summer school, after school, and per-session work and still have 6 weeks of vacation.