Bonuses, longer wait for tenure among changes in education commissioner's overhaul
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler laid out his vision for overhauling public schools Friday, saying he wants to give bonuses to the best teachers and make students’ progress count in tenure and layoff decisions.
To earn tenure, a new teacher would have to wait five years, instead of the current three, and would need to have a solid track record of boosting student achievement.
When teachers need to be laid off to cut costs, Schundler wants districts to keep the most effective ones, not necessarily those with the most seniority. That idea is a direct challenge to rules that require the newest employees in their subject areas get pink slips first.
Schundler said taking these steps to improve schools was “a matter of life and death for children, particularly in neighborhoods like mine” in Jersey City. “It’s morally right.”
He said about half his proposals require legislative approval, and he hopes that by June 1, lawmakers will pass a general statement requiring that student learning become a key part of awarding pay and promotions to teachers and school leaders. That step would bolster the state’s chance to win $400 million in federal grant money in the contest known as Race to the Top.
The New Jersey Education Association has long fought merit pay and using student test scores to judge
FILE PHOTO
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler
When teachers need to be laid off to cut costs, Schundler wants districts to keep the most effective ones, not necessarily those with the most seniority. That idea is a direct challenge to rules that require the newest employees in their subject areas get pink slips first.
Schundler said taking these steps to improve schools was “a matter of life and death for children, particularly in neighborhoods like mine” in Jersey City. “It’s morally right.”
He said about half his proposals require legislative approval, and he hopes that by June 1, lawmakers will pass a general statement requiring that student learning become a key part of awarding pay and promotions to teachers and school leaders. That step would bolster the state’s chance to win $400 million in federal grant money in the contest known as Race to the Top.
The New Jersey Education Association has long fought merit pay and using student test scores to judge
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