Foundations Would Help Fund D.C. Teacher Contract
Washington
Signaling the endgame in a fractious and nationally watched teacher-contract negotiation, officials of the District of Columbia schools and the local teachers’ union have reached a preliminary bargaining agreement that includes a voluntary individual performance-pay program to be financed largely by private foundations.
The arrangement is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, with four foundations committing nearly $65 million in total for the performance-based compensation. In all, the contract would cost about an additional $140 million over its five-year duration.
Under the proposal, which will likely go to the Washington Teachers’ Unionmembership for ratification this month, teachers would earn more than 20 percent in retroactive pay and in new base raises over the life of the contract.
Gone from the tentative pact is Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee’s earlier proposal to create a two-tiered “red” and “green” pay system, which would have required some teachers to relinquish tenure for a year for the opportunity to win performance-based bonuses. The proposal drew nationwide attention,