MNPS to Give Over-Achieving Teachers More Responsibility and Pay

Teachers in Metro Schools who out-perform their peers in the classroom will have the option to take on more responsibility and increase their pay as early as next year. The district is overhauling its career tracks in order to recruit better teachers and reward those who are successful.

Metro Schools plans to start what’s called the Career Development Institute. When a teacher is eligible for tenure in her third year, the top 10% based on student test scores would be singled out for intensive training. Katie Cour is helping craft the new career tracks and presented a draft plan to the Metro Council education committee Monday night. She says the high-achieving teachers would focus on an area that fits their skill set such as curriculum development or mentoring.

“After the course of a year, they would go into their new role, which would also keep them in the classroom, and that would give them an opportunity to grow as an educator, but also have the option for increased pay based on their new responsibilities and roles.”

A similar teacher retention program is being piloted in Denver schools right now and could be in place for Metro Schools starting in 2011. District officials say they’re focusing on retaining and rewarding effective teachers before moving on to improve the recruiting process.

The new career tracks would have to be approved by the Metro school board and the teachers union.