‘Merit Pay’ for Teachers Needs More Discussion
Regarding “Gov. Fails Teachers’ Pay Test,” Golden State, Jan. 17:
As an elementary school teacher with Los Angeles Unified School District, I want to commend Michael Hiltzik for his column about “merit pay” for teachers. His discussion of the time and care put into creating such a plan in Denver should be required reading for anyone who wishes to weigh in on this debate.
Hiltzik makes it plain that a hasty, politicized, top-down rush toward merit pay will be disastrous.
Phil Brimble
Mar Vista
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, with hopes to reform the California school system, proposes offering salary increases, rewarding only those teachers who excel and in turn punish those who do not meet standards.
The end result is a pool of teachers who are teaching to a standardized test, for the pay increase.
Reha Modi
Goleta, Calif.
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In order to include an item of high public interest in his State of the State message, our governor included “reform the pay system for California schoolteachers.”
Michael Hiltzik was able to show that such a reform requires years of work by truly concerned experts and adequate funds. It cannot be created by a sleight of hand by Schwarzenegger.
Wolfram Wolz
Long Beach
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