Teacher merit pay has little merit

Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced an $8.5 million competitive grant to recognize teachers that accelerate student learning beyond one year of learning. Districts would be able to provide $2,500 supplemental pay to the top 10%. Total district awards will vary based on the number of teachers in the district up to a maximum of $500,000.

Reynolds called this new program the Teachers Accelerated Learning grant. It’s funded by remaining federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan. But it’s still just merit pay.

When I negotiated educator contracts, there were legislators and some local board members flirting with merit pay. But flirtation never led to a happy marriage because both sides recognized the massive downside leading to a painful divorce.

Across the country, most districts that tried merit pay quickly abandoned it because it didn’t show student achievement increasing and teachers hated an evaluation system rewarding friends of the evaluator. It was arbitrary and subjective.

Merit pay crushes teamwork. Teachers need supportive colleagues willing to collaborate honestly, not competition with the second-grade teacher next door. Teachers are generally helpful, giving, and kind, but when only 10% can receive the bonus, self-interest kicks in.

But that’s not the only reason merit pay hasn’t worked in schools. I’m not sure how the Department of Education plans to measure accelerated learning, but I can guess. It will be measured using standardized testing.

Standardized tests are a tool for judging where a student might be academically on the day of the test. The outcome is subject to if they’ve had enough sleep, didn’t have a fight at home, had a decent breakfast, took the test seriously, and if the test isn’t culturally biased.

I’m not totally discounting standardized tests. I am saying they can’t be the sole judge of teacher merit. Also, I’m not aware of any standardized tests for music, art, foreign language, consumer science, civics, or shop. How would special education teachers qualify? But if standardized tests aren’t used, how does a district determine who has merit and who doesn’t?

I remember one assistant principal who came for my teacher evaluation after lunch. He sat in the back of the room and promptly fell asleep. Another principal marked me down for having a messy desk. I did. He asked if I had anything to say. I said, “No, I would if I cared about your opinion of my desk.” I didn’t. There would have been no merit for me.

The $8.5 million from the American Rescue Plan could be better used for teachers paying for classroom supplies out of pocket. According to data from the National Education Association, teachers spend an average of $413.35 per year on classroom supplies out of pocket.

The state could provide the money to schools for this purpose. It has more merit than spending money on a system that rarely produces results.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, IA. He has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired. [email protected]

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