300 High-Scoring Schools to Divide $100-Million Pool

About 300 low-ranked schools that showed extraordinary gains in Stanford 9 scores will divide up a $100-million state pot designed to reward teachers and principals, according to a list unveiled Thursday by the California Department of Education.

Those schools represent fewer than one-quarter of the 1,346 schools statewide that met the criteria for the big-money rewards--which has generated consternation among critics of the governor’s award program.

Barring unforeseen delays, the bonuses will be doled out by early May to individual teachers, principals, counselors, librarians and other credentialed school employees in chunks of $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000. Even teachers with emergency credentials will be eligible.

State officials cautioned, however, that a legal challenge filed by some Sacramento educators could delay or derail the awards program.

For teachers, the hefty bonuses represent by far the most controversial element of Gov. Gray Davis’ push to hold schools, educators and students accountable for achievement.

Many educators, even some who expect to get money, say such rewards divide education professionals at a time when they should be teaming up to lift student achievement.

“It’s bounty money,” said Charlotte Mary Lerchenmuller, principal of Emerson Middle School in Westwood, which just missed the projected awards cutoff. “Awards should go to schools, not individuals.”

Eighteen schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District qualified for rewards, but it is likely that not a single teacher will receive money because the pool will run dry. Administrators said they are not bitter because they viewed the notion of giving huge checks to individual teachers as unfair from the beginning.

Geddes Elementary School in Baldwin Park Unified School District looked to be just shy of receiving monetary rewards.

“Bummer for them,” said Susan Parks, district superintendent, who added that the school was still “very proud of the work they accomplished.”

Others reacted with glee to the news that, in their notoriously low-paying profession, they might have a few extra thousand dollars in time to spend on summer vacations or their children’s college tuition.

To be eligible for awards, schools ranking in the bottom half of the state’s performance index had to have demonstrated improved scores for two years on the Stanford 9, a standardized basic skills test.

In addition, the schools were required to double a growth target on their 2000 Stanford 9 scores.

Under the program, 1,000 educators statewide will receive bonuses of $25,000; 3,750 are to get $10,000 each, and 7,500 are in line for $5,000 awards.

Of 1,185 elementary schools that qualified, only the top 210 are likely to receive money for credentialed staff members. Among 129 middle schools that met the criteria, 57 probably will receive bonuses. All 32 high schools that qualified apparently will be in the money.

Among Los Angeles Unified schools, 14 at the elementary level, two middle schools and three high schools appear certain to get award money. Throughout Los Angeles County, 48 elementary, nine middle and eight high schools stand to get checks.

The state Department of Education said it could not yet set the precise cutoffs for dollar amounts because some schools that were eliminated from the running for one reason or other are appealing to the state Board of Education. The state is also continuing to scrutinize data to ensure that individual schools’ staff counts are accurate.

Despite the uncertainty, some schools reveled in the prospect of big cash awards.

Principal Beverly James of Niemes Elementary in Artesia was speechless when told that her 37 teachers and administrators were likely to receive large amounts.

“I’m just numb. I just have goose bumps,” she said, adding that she plans to apply her bonus toward her daughter’s tuition at UC Berkeley.

Niemes’ API score jumped 108 points last year, more than eight times its target of 13 points. James credited several factors, among them teachers’ monthly timelines for covering material and weekly meetings to identify effective teaching techniques.

Some of Niemes’ teachers said they believe that a strong emphasis on parents’ involvement also helped in a school where nearly half of the students are still learning English and even more are impoverished.

Sixth-grade teacher Fran Barron said she appreciated the acknowledgment but said teachers were not motivated by cash. Barron said she would use her money to pay off bills and travel to Egypt.

“I could get some really great pictures to bring back to my students,” she said.

One of the state’s extraordinary successes was in tiny Ceres Unified School District near Modesto, where six of seven elementary schools, as well as a middle school and a high school, are likely to receive teacher awards.

Supt. Beatrice Lingenfelter credited state grants, involvement of parents and staff training, among other things.

Bandini Elementary in the city of Commerce appeared to be a shoo-in for the largest individual awards of $25,000. While Principal Anna Chavez welcomed the money, she said her teachers were holding back their excitement because of the Sacramento lawsuit.

Educators there challenged a rule passed by the state Board of Education that schools had to demonstrate improvement on the Stanford 9 in 1999 as well as 2000.

“I think we’ll believe it when somebody is handing us our checks,” she said. Still, Chavez said, “if you picked teaching as a profession, you didn’t go into for the money. You go in because you want children to learn.”

Among elementary schools statewide, the top ranked was Lincoln Elementary in the small Central Valley community of Exeter, near Visalia. The 577-pupil school serves only kindergarten through second grade, and only the second-graders were required to take the Stanford 9, which is given in grades 2 through 11 statewide.

“We have only one grade level to rise and fall on,” said Principal Miriam Smith. She and the school’s 36 other full-time teachers and administrators will get $25,000 each.

The $100-million award pot is one of three incentive programs backed by Gov. Davis. A $227-million pool is being divided on a per-pupil basis among all schools that met their growth targets. A $350-million program will provide bonuses of a few hundred dollars to each employee at schools that qualify, with an equal amount going to the school.

For a list of schools eligible to apply for the rewards, see https://www.cde.ca.gov/psaa/awards.

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Times education writer Doug Smith and staff writers Thuy-Doan Le in the San Fernando Valley, Jessica Garrison in Orange County and Katie Cooper in Ventura contributed to this story. Richard O’Reilly, Times director of computer analysis, also contributed.