Florida LEA Succeeds With Merit Pay and Without Tenure
As Bill Tucker notes over at the Quick and the Ed, there’s one LEA in Florida that has already put into place many of the reforms that were part of S.B. 6, which was vetoed by Gov. Crist last week. The LEA has merit pay and no teacher tenure, Tucker points out, and is attracting strong teachers. To reward the LEA for its success, the Florida legislature has cut its funding. Tucker wrote about this Florida LEA in a feature story that appeared in Education Next in Summer 2009.
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Although the LEA in FL attracts strong teachers, many of them leave as turnaround is high at this school. If the school was to offer tenure, many would stay as they would feel more secure in their positions. This model is a constant stressor for teachers and Gov. Crist was correct in vetoing this for the entire state!
I work for FLVS and was VERY attracted and excited by the no tenure aspect. Having come from a school where morale was terrible and even hostile due to the attitudes of many of the tenured teachers who were allowed to behave in unimaginable ways towards their students and the other staff because they were “protected” by their “tenure” was one of the main reasons I left my brick and mortar school. People in the business world get fired if they don’t perform or treat their co-workers, bosses or customers with respect, why isn’t it the same in education. If I’m not a good teacher and I’m not doing a good job then I need to be reassigned in education, I need to improve or I need to move on.
Merit pay is another story and is good but difficult. In the public school I didn’t qualify because I taught an extra curricular course and my “merit pay” was based on overall school scores for the state test. That was in no way a reflection of my teaching. My students excelled in my class and even in the community through classroom volunteering. At FLVS I teach a course that is so difficult it has a high turnover rate itself and is being rewritten and I don’t feel it’s able to give a true reflection of my teaching ability because so many students don’t even try. Their lack of effort doesn’t show my outreach or effort to get them motivated. It is what it is and as long as it really is the GOOD teachers getting bonuses I will be happy for them and work harder to get there myself.
Teachers who work in succeeding schools may not understand the need for this type of structure. Coming from a low scoring school I believe something like this has to happen to force the change and help them become succeeding schools.
Couple of Items I’d like to address regarding your earlier statements:
Annual contract – I earn it, yearly. Does it keep me on my toes? Absolutely. Are my professional expectations high? You bet. Do my superiors foster my professional growth? Without a doubt. Now, think like a parent: I want my child with a teacher who continually proves her success OR I want my child with a teacher who is on tenure and feels comfortable.
Regarding your statement, “If the school was to offer tenure, many would stay as they would feel more secure in their positions.” Well, if the school were to offer tenure, we would be moving backwards, an action completely contradictory to the premise as to why any of us at FLVS are here: To serve students, and to make decisions that will develop them into constructive, global citizens of the 21st Century. (This by the way can’t happen on a bell schedule.)
We are a model to be reckoned with:-)
April C. Schmidt, NBCT
English III FLVS teacher <–7 years running
My attraction and willingness to work my hardest is magnified ten fold when I am backed by a school that fosters trust and the desire to be it’s best. Who doesn’t want to work hard when there is passionate goal to be met?! I have never felt more secure and happy in a teaching position. Security and trust allows for creativity and forward thinking, thus thrusting us into 21st century solutions and success!
Students are desperate to learn, we just have to make the pathway exciting, innovating and relevant! We are definitely a model to be reckoned with, I would wholeheartedly agree!!!
This particular school is not for everyone, but the lack of tenure is surely a less significant factor than the hours, the unconventional methods, and so many other things. As a recent addition to FLVS, it has never occurred to me to fret over the lack of a tenure programme. All of the checks and balances are in place, so I have never seen any indication that FLVS teachers would be put in a position where their employment status would be at the mercy of their students, families, or anyone else whose behaviour they cannot control. We have far more power to help our students succeed and meet our high expectations than I ever had in a brick and mortar school. I do feel secure because I work hard at doing my job well and get good results, so tenure seems like a moot point to me.