Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state - NorthJersey.com

Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state - NorthJersey.com:

Governor Christie hopes Newark teachers bonuses will serve as model for the state

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2012, 12:44 PM

BY  LESLIE BRODY

STAFF WRITER

THE RECORD

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Governor Christie said Friday he hoped a new teachers contract in Newark that gives teachers performance bonuses would serve as a model for the state and the nation.

FILE / CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Governor Chris Christie

Speaking in a gym of a Newark elementary school, he said he hoped other unions would become open-minded about agreeing to merit pay, "If they don't they will become dinosaurs," he said. "I'd like to see contracts like this all over New Jersey."
The precedent setting contract signed on Wednesday gives Newark teachers annual bonuses up to $12,500 to highly effective teachers in hard-to-staff fields. It was signed after strenuous negotiations between Newark district leaders and the American Federation of Teachers, with funding from the $100 million gift from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The New Jersey Education Association, which represents most districts statewide, has opposed merit pay, saying it undermines collegiality and does