Ladue Remodeling Performance Pay System
Community-Wide Review Reveals Widespread Support for Merit Pay
By Janese Heavin
Show-Me Institute
SAINT LOUIS — The Ladue School District is in the process of implementing a revised pay system that will better reward educators who demonstrate outstanding teaching practices.
The district has offered merit pay for more than five decades. Several years ago, administrators began to rethink that system after the community rejected a district tax increase.
A community-wide review process determined that the model needed to be updated, but also revealed that taxpayers and teachers remain committed to paying educators based on performance, Associate Superintendent Marsha Chappelow said.
“The community is very supportive of an incentive pay system,” she said. “I think the merit system tries to recognize those individuals who do go beyond expectations for kids. I think that’s good for students, and it’s good for the school community.”
Under Ladue’s previous merit pay system, teachers were awarded points that would equate to a dollar amount based on how much money the district had to spend in a given budget year. During an average budget year, a point would be worth an extra $150 to $160. Teachers were given a flat pay raise, then an additional salary increase based on the points earned that year.
Teachers earned points by volunteering for extra duties and through evaluations by a team of fellow teachers and administrators. Every school building also has a teacher representative who responds to any grievance; however, Chappelow said, there haven’t been any complaints about the pay system for at least the five years she’s been with the district.
The new pay system — which is still being tweaked — will categorize teachers based on performance, with each category being assigned a multiplier. For instance, a “proficient” teacher would receive a certain increase in addition to a base pay raise, while an exemplary teacher would receive a higher percentage. The categories are based on evaluations, professional development, and use of best teaching practices in the classroom.
Teachers are only in a category for one year. “There are new teachers who are still learning,” Chappelow said. “Especially when you hire someone straight from a university, in the first three years, a lot of growth goes on. So if something doesn’t click the first year, you can work on it and receive training and support.”
Neither the former system nor the new system uses student test scores to determine a teacher’s performance.
If the number of applications is any indication, performance pay is popular with educators. Ladue sees nearly 3,000 applications for its 325 teaching spots every year, Chappelow said. “That’s a lot for a district with 3,700 students,” she said.
Ladue is the only school district in Missouri that uses a performance pay system, though it’s common in charter and private schools. State statute requires school districts to operate salary schedules, which increase teacher pay based on years of experience and education.
Ladue’s pay system has not been legally challenged, but Chappelow said that might be because the district also works closely with its teachers’ group. The Ladue Education Association comprises members from both the Missouri National Education Association and the Missouri State Teachers’ Association. The district began meet-and-confer negotiations with the association two years ago.
Although MNEA continues to oppose paying teachers for performance, MSTA Executive Director Kent King has expressed support for merit pay. In a 2007 column, King told members a performance pay system would treat teachers like professionals, not factory-line workers.
“The real world recognizes specialized areas in every profession and pays accordingly,” King said. “A neurosurgeon doesn’t make the same as a family practice physician nor does a corporate lawyer earn the same as a public defender. We need to recognize differences and allow for them in our profession.”
July 30th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
[...] All of these programs seem to be on the right track by requiring reforms that benefit students and their families which begs the question, is Missouri ready to run the Race to the Top? As of the date of this posting, the state barely hits on some of the major reforms that President Obama and Secretary Duncan have stressed in order to have an advantage when applying for the funds. The only semblance of a merit pay program that the state legislature has passed was in Senate Bill 291 during the 2009 session, but it is limited to only the St. Louis Public School district and still must be funded by the 2010 budget. The Ladue School District is the only district in the state that has self implemented a performance … [...]