Teachers Jeer Bonuses Decided by Seniority

Teacher Scott Haddad is about to get a check from the state for $3,300--and he’s none too pleased about it.

The way Haddad sees it, he should be getting $5,000, part of the big-money rewards finally heading to schools with huge test-score gains.

But because the Los Angeles teachers union refused to negotiate the amounts of the big bonuses, as set out in a law, the money is being distributed essentially by seniority at low-performing schools that showed marked improvement.

And that means newer teachers such as Haddad are getting less than their veteran colleagues, causing an uproar in the ranks.

“I’m grateful for the money, but they’re creating a situation that’s inherently unfair,” said Haddad, who will get about half as much reward money as some teachers at his school, Crescent Heights Elementary in Mid-City.

“We all deserve more, but you don’t deserve it at the expense of somebody else’s sweat,” Haddad said.

The teachers union chose not to get involved in the awards program, insisting that bonuses sow dissension among teachers.

But by declining to negotiate with the school district, the union allowed the money to be dispersed under a seniority formula set by state law.

That is pitting teacher against teacher, exactly the situation the union had hoped to avoid.

“There are going to be some unhappy people at my campus,” said Principal Ronald Jones of Mountain View Elementary in Tujunga, where teachers are expecting $10,000 awards apiece.

Orange County schools have largely avoided such problems.

L.A. Unified on Thursday notified principals of its 20 qualifying schools about the award formula, and word is just now trickling out at most schools. Jones is calling an emergency meeting Wednesday to inform his staff.

“I’m going to encourage people not to be upset with their colleagues because they are receiving more awards,” he said.

The bonuses are one of three award programs in Gov. Gray Davis’ testing and accountability initiative.

More than 12,000 teachers, principals, librarians and others at 304 schools are set to share $100 million for gains on the Stanford 9 achievement test in 2000.

L.A. Unified’s share is $6.1 million.

The big-money rewards program was intended to offer incentives to attract and retain teachers at the state’s most challenged schools.

Teachers have been waiting nearly a year for their bonus checks.

Statewide, 1,000 staff members at schools with the greatest improvement are expecting $25,000 each.

An additional 3,750 employees are anticipating $10,000 apiece. And 7,500 others are waiting for $5,000 each.

The state leaves it up to local districts and teachers unions to decide how much money staffers should get at each school.

If local unions and districts can’t agree, the law calls for awards to be distributed according to teachers’ base salaries.

In effect, teachers with more years get larger bonuses.

Although unions statewide have complained about the bonus program, most appear to have honored its intent.

Union representatives in some of the state’s largest districts, from Long Beach to San Jose, said they negotiated with districts because they found the state’s seniority formula unpalatable.

“I don’t [believe in merit pay], but, when the law is passed and there’s money for the teachers, we said we’ll follow what the law says,” said Cliff Kusaba, president of the Teachers Assn. of Long Beach, which represents 5,000 teachers.

Teachers and other staffers at five schools in Long Beach qualified for bonuses of $10,000 or $5,000 each.

In Orange and Ventura counties, most district and union officials appear to have agreed on an even split of the money.

“We thought it was most fair for every single teacher to get the same amount rather than differentiate between those with more experience,” said Melinda Dannenbergcq, president of the Hueneme Education Assn. in Ventura County. “It was pretty much consensus--no one really agrees with these awards at all.”

The California Teachers Assn. opposes merit pay but has advised its affiliates to negotiate the bonus money as a way to ensure optimal outcomes for teachers.

Though many affiliates have done just that, the one significant holdout has been United Teachers-Los Angeles. The Los Angeles union, which represents 43,000 teachers, has adopted a policy that prohibits it from negotiating pay raises that are tied to test scores.

“The whole system is unfair,” said union President Day Higuchi. “Whenever it’s been tried, it’s been counterproductive. You’re saying you get a magic number on a test and money rains on you. To me, that can’t be fair. That’s a lottery. It’s divisive.”

It was not intended to be divisive. The point of involving unions was to ensure collaboration and give local officials flexibility for dealing with special situations such as part-time staff.

After hearing of dissension in Los Angeles, however, one top state education official suggested that lawmakers could pursue legislation to make it more equitable.

“This was not intended to create consternation among the staff,” said Doug Stone, a spokesman for Delaine Eastin, the state’s superintendent of public instruction.

Times staff writer Jenifer Ragland in Ventura contributed to this story.