Education Blogs React to Merit Pay Program

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By Azi Paybarah

October 18, 2007 | 10:42 a.m.

Here's some of the current reaction within public education circles to that new merit pay pilot program that Michael Bloomberg and Randi Weingarten announced yesterday.

The UFT’s official blog says the deal has “ ‘shut the door‘ on individual merit pay programs,” because it’s actually a school-wide program.

Democrats for Education Reform says kudos.

Some more skeptical opinions include that of the Independent Community of Educators blog, which finds hypocrisy in Weingarten's opposition to merit pay on a national scale while accepting it at the local level. They write:

“While Randi has been urging us to write faxes to Washington opposing individual merit pay, she was negotiating a deal with Bloomberg that will give us school-wide merit pay for student achievement gains in up to 200 low performing schools this school year and 400 next year.”

NYC Educator says “It will cost you 1.85% of your salary, virtually all of the 2% ‘raise’ you just got (the one that didn't even meet cost of living).”

And skeptical teachers will meet on Friday at Murray Bergtraum High School to discuss the issue.