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Silicon Valley professionals were evaluating the issue of alternative pay concepts in relation to Race to the Top funding just hours before Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, found out California was no longer in the running for phase one of the $4.35 billion in funds, which is the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history.

Silicon Valley Education Foundation held an education forum last Wednesday at Synopsys Inc. in Sunnyvale to discuss whether changing the current pay system for educators would play a factor in helping accelerate student achievement and improve public education. Former journalist John Fensterwald moderated the two-hour discussion that drew in widely different viewpoints from administrative, business, teaching, local and statewide angles.

"Our goal today is to explore alternative pay concepts and see what are the disadvantages, advantages and obstacles," Fensterwald said. "We have an excellent panel to do that."

Panelists included Thomas Ezrin, vice president of global compensation, benefits and mobility of Flextronics; Marc Liebman, superintendent of the Berryessa Union School District; Jim Russell, principal of Del Mar High School; Dean Vogel, vice president of the California Teachers Association; and Jeff Camp, chairman of the Full Circle Fund's Education Impact Circle.

Camp opened the educational forum with a 12-minute presentation summarizing the importance of teaching and the

weight of compensation.

"I wanted to start this whole conversation with a picture of an important indicator of success. The completion of a huge important milestone for students graduating from high school," he began. "The way they get there is with the support of effective teachers."

He continued, asking those in the audience: "Why would teachers say this is a rewarding profession?"

Answers varied but circled around a similar theme of helping students grow. He then asked what pay is for, getting