Denver voters this fall have a unique opportunity to invest in the future of city schools by revolutionizing the way teachers are paid. The proposal puts a premium on classroom accountability and the drive to boost student achievement.
With a dynamic new superintendent and gathering community support for Denver Public Schools, the time is ripe to scrap the decades-old pay plan that rewards teachers simply for building up seniority. The alternative, dubbed ProComp, is a creative system that rewards teachers for individual excellence and innovation, and for taking on the district’s most demanding tasks.
ProComp could change Denver schools for the better for years to come, and we urge voters to fund it by voting “yes” on Question 3A on the Denver ballot.
ProComp is short for Professional Compensation System for Teachers. The plan would pay teachers more for working in the most challenging schools – one of the possible keys to closing the achievement gap between whites and ethnic minorities – and also for continually demonstrating their skills and knowledge.
It lifts the caps that cause longtime teachers to max out their salaries, and it allows young go-getters to earn more money now without having to wait decades.
And it should help DPS recruit and retain top teachers.
The system depends on supervisors developing measurements of teachers’ success in promoting student growth. CSAP scores could be one factor. When their goals are reached, and achievement levels are up, teachers will be paid more.
“It’s more work for principals, but it focuses them on student achievement,” DPS superintendent Michael Bennet said.
The system, which cherry-picked from the best of pay-for-performance plans around the country, is the result of careful collaboration between DPS officials and union leaders. After six years of negotiations and pilot programs, it’s supported by most teachers and has the earnest backing of Bennet, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and various businesses and civic groups.
To make it work, however, DPS needs an extra $25 million a year to pay for the bonuses and salary hikes. It’s a wise investment for parents, citizens and homeowners. If approved, the mill-levy override would add an extra $2 per month on your tax bill for every $100,000 of a home’s actual value. For the average homeowner in Denver, that comes to about $5 a month.
Some may think that since student progress has been flat in Denver, why put more money into a broken system? The answer is simple: With a new superintendent, there is a window of opportunity for improvement at DPS. ProComp is not a Bennet creation, but it will provide him a powerful tool to fulfill his goal of remaking Denver schools. ProComp helps remove some of the barriers of getting good teachers into low-performing schools, and it makes student achievement the end-game. That’s what public education is all about.
Teachers who are nervous about jumping into the new system actually don’t have to – they can remain under the current system for as long as they’re employed.
The current model, known as single salary schedule, made sense when it was introduced more than 75 years ago. It says women and non-whites should be paid the same as white males doing the same jobs. It served its purpose well.
But the pioneering ProComp plan puts students first by rewarding our best and brightest teachers. It puts Denver in a better posture in the competition with private schools and suburban districts for talented faculty.
Employing top teachers is the fastest way to make DPS one of America’s top urban districts, and 3A will help do that.
