Some Teachers Ambivalent On Bonus Program

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

United Federation of Teachers delegates last week overwhelmingly approved a package deal that will institute school-based merit pay while also giving members the opportunity to retire with a full pension after 25 years, but many members expressed concern over the performance-pay portion of the agreement.

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang 'DIVISIVE': Teachers were still debating the school-based bonus plan announced last week, even after the UFT delegates assembly voted to endorse the pilot program, along with a pension deal that will allow educators to retire five years earlier. 'If a school doesn't have the same amount of resources, it's disadvantaged,' said Jose Perez, who teaches at PS 18 on Staten Island. 'We don't want to divide Teachers.'

The pension deal was met with delight and relief, as senior Teachers considered the opportunities presented by the accelerated fast track to retirement. But some Teachers reacted with suspicion and skepticism at the idea of merit-based bonuses for high-needs schools that showed marked improvement, primarily in their test scores.

'Won't Work Here'

"I think it's a set-up," said Allyson Morgan, who teaches at PS 76 in Manhattan. "People will be saying, 'He didn't pull his weight, she didn't do that.' I believe it can work in the business community, but it doesn't work in education."

Ms. Morgan acknowledged that it was not as objectionable as a bonus system that would only reward individual Teachers, but she still saw it as divisive, calling it the lesser of two evils. She said she thought her school might be eligible but wasn't sure she would recommend it.

Other Teachers saw an important distinction between individual and school-based performance pay and said that they believed their schools would distribute the bonuses fairly. Debra Poulos, who teaches at MS 88 in Brooklyn, is opposed to individual merit pay but welcomes the new plan. "The school-wide bonus is money for work we already do," she said. "The Principals are getting the bonus for how hard their Teachers work. It's worth a try."

But some Teachers objected to the fact that the bonuses would be based largely on improved standardized test scores and asserted that tests were already over-emphasized. Others argued that schools with unequal resources would be compared unfairly to one another. They noted that some schools had better text books, better facilities, received private grants or included students from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

'Makes It a Competition'

Still others didn't think that the school-based program would encourage collaboration. "Merit pay makes it a competition thing," said Jose Perez, who teaches first grade at PS 18 on Staten Island. "We should all be working together, taking care of one another, old Teachers and new Teachers. This pits us against one another."

But there was no visible dispute over the pension deal, which will mean Teachers can retire with a full pension after 25 years' service, instead of 30, at age 55.

"The world is anti-union," said Alan Reiff, who teaches at PS 25 in The Bronx. "It's pretty amazing that we're able to get ahead on pensions in this day and age."

Ms. Morgan, who's been a Teacher for 19 years, said she's been looking forward to winning the 25/55 legislation for some time.

"I've been counting on it," she said. "I love teaching, but since I was Tier 4, it was looking pretty dire, the idea of working until I was 65. This makes every difference in the world."