Bill Gates on School Budgets: Cut Wisely, Change Pay Schemes
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says he knows that the nation's schools are struggling financially, and could be for years to come. But he argues that states and districts need to continue to press to create new merit pay models, and that they should consider allowing larger class sizes—if those classes are taught by effective teachers.
In a speech today, the business icon and philanthropist also urged school officials to avoid making cuts such as furloughs and reducing school days and school years, which he says amount to "one-time" fixes that hurt students academically.
Gates, speaking at the Council of Chief State School Officers' annual policy forum in Louisville, Ky., called for moving away from systems that pay teachers based on seniority or obtaining master's degrees, which he says haven't been show to raise student achievement.
"There's simply no profession in existence that I can think of where seniority is a primary determination" in
