Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Teacher Compensation Legislation
Provides Compensation Flexibility to School Districts for Recruiting Math, Science and Special Ed Teachers
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today that he has signed SB 1660 by Sen. Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles), which authorizes school districts to use Professional Development Block Grant funds to pay new and existing mathematics, science, and special education teachers.
“California faces a shortage of qualified teachers in the areas of math, science and special education,” said Governor Schwarzenegger, “and it is important that we provide flexibility to local school districts so they can develop innovative recruitment strategies, specifically around compensation, to help attract more individuals to this profession.”
SB 1660 authorizes a local educational agency (LEA) to create an alternative salary schedule to compensate new and existing mathematics and science teachers if agreed to by both the LEA and the teachers’ representative(s).
The bill requires a LEA to provide annual notification of the amount of funds used for financing an alternative uniform allowance for mathematics and science to the state, as specified.###Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
3737 Main Street Suite 201
Riverside, California 92501
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Pay Math And Science Teachers More
I can see schools using this money to recruit math and science teachers, but I don't see any local unions allowing a separate pay scale for math and science teachers. I certainly won't see a cent of it.
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9 comments:
Simply pay more for Math and Science teachers? Not for good teachers, but Math and Science teachers only?
Hmmmmmm, sounds like Darren isn't quite the capitalist after all. How about the incentive to pay good teachers, not just those in certain subjects.
The beauty of the legislation is that it puts the union in the position of shutting down schools if they can't continue to enforce a pay-scale which precludes the hiring of high-demand skills. Since that's a politically indefensible position you can bet the union didn't get backed into because they were too stupid to see the implications.
The further implication, and one that could be read into the passage of NCLB, is that the teacher's unions are losing control of the political process.
Coach, how can you say that? It's simply a matter of supply and demand.
Har! Hey Coach, one thing at a time.
First you establish the precedent that some areas of teaching are more demanding then others, that's already been done with special ed teachers of course, and then you pay the salary commensurate with the demand.
Once the precedent's established you start trying to generalize it. That's what this little item is about.
Heck, within our lifetimes it might happen that the industrial unions that the NEA and AFT have morphed into will start to morph back into professional associations.
Well, I can hope.
Hey, how about a little extra money for English teachers?
My AP Language students (for whom my department/class has a 93% pass rate on the exam) will write 30+ in-class essays, which take on average about 7-10 minutes to grade. Now, I'm no math teacher, but with 51 students, that's a lot of extra work time, especially when some in the public like to calculate my work time as 7 - 3 and then tell me I make $45/hour.
OK, I'm just venting, and I don't have a problem with my pay or my workload, or else I wouldn't do the job. However, when I think about the same pay that PE teachers get .... well, don't get me started.
Cool. But, the State of California says I am a qualified "Science" teacher, in Biology, Life Sciences and General Science. I also have five years plus science education teaching experence. BUT, because I don't have a degree in Science, NCLB says I am not a qualified. Yeah, I know, I could take some tests to become "qualified", but screw that. I shouldn't have to pay some corrupt testing company for a test that says what my college transcripts and experience say.
Hey Governator, how about money for math and science teachers, as well as History, English, PE, Music, Art and if anyone still even offers them, Business and Shop classes, to have fewer students per class, promises for students that habitual trouble makers will not be allowed in classes with motivated students and world class standards for promotion ? Yes, Yes I know. The Governor does not control the money, that is a legislative function. So, us in California are SCREWED.
Can you get a bachelor's degree in science? I know you can get a bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and so forth. Even some subject areas that go out of their way to tell us they are "science:" social science, political science, and so forth. But do they have one in just "science?"
I doubt it. It would be like getting a degree in "plants". Heck, even that would be more focused than "science".
I understand the realities of supply and demand. There will always be a ton of English teachers, but honestly... it'd piss me off to know that someone teaching freshman Algebra would make more than me. I'm with mazenko. I work my @ss off during the school year (190 English students this year) and to get paid less just because there are more where I come from? I'm more expendable? Sigh. I'm more tired... that's for sure.
(And I totally agree about that whole PE teacher thing...)
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