Teachers unions in California tend not to be big fans of tying teacher evaluations to test scores or linking pay increases to performance ratings - a concept often referred to as "merit pay."
One exception is the teachers union at Green Dot Public Schools, a cluster of 18 charter schools throughout Los Angeles County, including two in the South Bay - Animo Leadership High in Lennox and Animo Inglewood Charter High.
That union recently ratified a contract that incorporates both provisions, and appears to be taking tentative steps toward eventually replacing seniority pay with performance-based pay.
The new contract, approved by 54 percent of Green Dot's 500-plus teachers in mid-May, officially took effect July 1. It doesn't do away with seniority pay - known in the education world as "step and column" - but it does