The Associated Press
Friday, January 12, 2007; 6:50 PM
MIAMI -- A teachers union went to court Friday to challenge the state's pioneering bonus-pay program, saying school districts would receive unequal levels of funding.
The United Teachers of Dade also claims in its state court lawsuit against the county school district that teachers would be evaluated differently depending on whether they are involved in subjects related to standardized exams.
Under the $147 million program _ the nation's first statewide performance pay plan for public education _ teachers are to be evaluated on a combination of performance reviews and student achievement on standardized tests. School districts can give the top quarter of their teachers bonuses averaging about $2,000 each this year.
The Miami-Dade school district _ the nation's fourth largest _ would get more than $19 million for teacher bonuses under the law, but that money will go to other districts if it does not meet the program's standards and reach an agreement with the union by March 1. That would create an unconstitutional disparity, the union alleges.
Even if the district complies with the bonus program, funding would be given differently to teachers of reading, math, social studies, and science as opposed to teachers of non-standardized test subjects such as physical education and art, the union claims.
"The plan is a misguided attempt by government bureaucrats to intervene in our school district," said Karen Aronowitz, president of the union, which represents 38,000 teachers.
A school district spokesman, Felipe Noguera, did not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, but said district officials and the union believe the program is flawed.
The district supports performance-based pay, Noguera said, but the problem with the program is that it is focused on English and math teachers for the statewide standardized tests and not all teachers.
The bonus plan was created under temporary language in the annual state budget and will die when a new budget takes effect in July unless lawmakers put it in the next budget or enact a substantive law.
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On the Net
Union: http://www.utd.org
Program: http://www.fldoe.org/STAR
