Newark teachers' union says merit pay hasn't worked
NEWARK, N.J. - It was hailed as a breakthrough when the bargain was struck: Top-performing teachers in Newark could get bigger paychecks.
NEWARK, N.J. - It was hailed as a breakthrough when the bargain was struck: Top-performing teachers in Newark could get bigger paychecks.
The provision in a 2012 contract struck between the state-run school district and the Newark Teachers Union was the first of its kind in New Jersey. It was made possible because of a large donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg intended to improve education in the city.
But three years later, the contract has expired, and the new president of the union local says that it hasn't worked and that it's not a sure thing the union will agree to keep the provision in its current form.
Several teachers said that they had problems with the contract and that the merit pay hadn't worked, though no one was willing to speak on the record for fear of reprisals.
Talks for a new deal haven't started, and the contract with the merit pay remains in place.
The deal was made possible because of Zuckerberg's $100 million matching donation to education causes in Newark, announced five years ago. His foundation agreed to pay not only for the merit bonuses but also for retroactive raises for educators who had worked two years on a previous contract, going without raises for the duration.
The total cost of the deal to Zuckerberg was $48 million, or nearly half his contribution. While $30 million of the money contributed by Zuckerberg and matching donors is left, it's not clear whether it will help pay toward a new contract.
For advocates for education reform, the deal, which Gov. Christie helped hash out, was a big thing.
Those reformers say teachers should be compensated the way many in other industries are, with paychecks reflecting their results rather than just their experience.
Zuckerberg's foundation hails the contract as a prime example of the contribution making a difference in Newark.
"Lasting change takes time, and there are some strong signs of early progress in Newark, including a dramatic increase in quality school choices and a new teachers contract that has led to improved teacher quality and retention," Jen Holleran, executive director of Zuckerberg's foundation, Startup: Education, said in a statement.
John Abeigon became president of the Newark Teachers Union this year. Abeigon said the merit pay had not lived up to the hopes, or hype. It awarded just under $1.5 million to 233 teachers last year; they received an average of $6,000 each.
"It's more a failure than it is a success," Abeigon said. "In little pockets, it's a success."
The problem, he said, is that the system for evaluating teachers - also developed with contributions from Zuckerberg - is flawed, even though district officials praise it.
The contract is still in effect even though it expired in June.
One major reason the union hasn't asked to start negotiations, he said, is that the parties are waiting on an arbitrator's ruling on several grievances dealing with the old contract, including on retroactive pay for teachers who retired in 2012 and pay raises for getting advanced degrees.
He said teachers were getting the pay bumps only if they get new master's or doctoral degrees from one favored school, New York-based Relay Graduate School of Education. The union wants the district to give pay increases to teachers who earn graduate degrees elsewhere, too.
It's not clear when an arbitrator might rule on the grievances.
This time around, the union will be negotiating with Superintendent Christopher Cerf, a former state education commissioner who replaced Cami Anderson in July.
Abeigon says he's glad about one policy change - Cerf has returned veteran teachers who had been moved out of classrooms back to teaching positions.
Cerf, for his part, is frustrated with union officials and their allies for criticizing elements of Zuckerberg's donation.
"Without this gift, we would not have been able to close the breakthrough collective-bargaining agreement," he said. "Literally, it could not have been funded."