Performance pay for teachers plan raises questions

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | 9:22 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Paying teachers based on their performance rather than granting automatic salary increases to everyone was suggested by a state senator Monday, but school superintendents shied away from making any commitments.

Four school superintendents representing all 17 counties outlined their "iNVest in Education" program to improve the achievement of students at a cost of $646.2 million over the next two years.

One priority is to give teachers a 3 percent cost of living raise in each of the next two years at a cost of $172.5 million.

Gov. Kenny Guinn is recommending a 2 percent per year raise.

Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia said the teachers have received a 6 percent cost of living increase over the last six years while inflation has risen 18 percent. Most private businesses give an annual cost of living raise, he told the Senate Human Resources & Education Committee.

Douglas County Superintendent John Soderman said "Teachers have lost money to inflation." He called the 3 percent per year a "modest request."

Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, suggested tying "salaries to performance." She said the public wants accountability in the schools.

Soderman said the districts "don't know how to do it," noting there must be negotiations with teachers over a salary package.

Cegavske told Soderman, "Talk to corporate America." She said workers in the business world get merit raises.

She said this was the time to have performance base pay with the advent of No Child Left Behind that measures the progress of every student with numerous tests. "There are teachers out there who deserve the very best salary and there are some teachers who are not very good and we need to start weeding those out," she said.

Outside the meeting Cegavske said it was "unfortunate" that the superintendents didn't embrace the idea because the opportunity is here. "They have to have the guts to do it," she said.

But Cegavske conceded that a bill to require performance-based pay would probably die in the Assembly. She said that was the sentiment in that house when she served there.

Outside the meeting, Garcia said, "It (performance based pay) is something we would need to sit down and negotiate with our collective bargaining unit.

"It is not something we would mandate," Garcia said. "I can't. The school districts don't have the authority to do that."

He said there have been talks for years with teacher union officials.

"But how would you come up with a system that is fair to everyone. That is something we are still working on," Garcia said.

Soderman said, "We would have to negotiate. It would be a tough thing to negotiate."

Terry Hickman, president of the Nevada State Education Association that represents teachers, said there must be money for an "across the board" raise for teachers. If performance based pay is started, it must be in addition to the cost of living raises.

If there is a performance based salary system, he said every teacher must be eligible. A merit pay system in contrast to performance based, he said rewards only a few workers.

Hickman said any proposal for a performance based pay must be negotiated locally with the teacher's union. And performance based pay "is not in lieu of" an across the board raise.

On the salary issue, Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said, "I don't know who can live on $28,000 in Clark County," referring to the beginning salary of teachers.

"We're just funding growth. There is a difference in funding growth and quality education," said Horsford.

Soderman said the governor's budget provides for an inflation cost of 2 percent next year and 3.5 percent the following year for health and accident insurance. The school districts are facing a 10-15 percent increase in their premiums.

Employees do not contribute to the cost of their health insurance, Soderman said. Without the increase in the budget, benefits may have to be reduced.

He added that if the health care costs are not financed, than the school districts would have to take money from other sections of the budget, such as the money allocated for salaries.

Cegavske said "Everything is going up and government can't pay for all of that."

But Horsford said his business insurance has risen by 10 percent.