Z-Politics
ATLANTA — Governor Nathan Deal has made education reform a top priority throughout his time as Governor. He scored a major victory in the 2015 legislative sessions by shepherding “Opportunity School Districts” legislation, and now he’s set to make a push for merit-based pay for teachers.
As if teacher’s unions weren’t already steamed enough.
State policy discussions on reforming teacher pay based on performance have long been one of those “wouldn’t it be great, if…” issues. That’s probably because he fight to actually accomplish such a task is often met with resistance from education groups, and that’s putting it lightly.
Governor Deal acknowledged that getting teachers groups on board with the idea will be a heavy-lift. From the AJC:
“We’re not going to go to a fully merit-based pay system, but I do think there is a portion of the teachers’ pay should go to how good a teacher they are,” Deal said after a policy conference on Friday. “Now, getting the education community to support that is sometimes difficult.”
But perhaps it’s worth considering. The Washington Post reported in March that merit-based pay could shift teaching habits away from a “teaching for the test” mentality, and provide a better classroom experience overall for students and teachers.
The policy is a key measure suggested by the governor’s Education Reform Commission, which also floated higher pay for pre-k educators, increasing funding to charter schools, and better mentoring programs for new teachers.
