Progressive Nation

Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: Opinion

A cornerstone of the education policy debate is the position of the teaching profession within society and government. Should teachers be compensated as they have been traditionally, like police officers and firefighters, whose benefits come from secured retirements and gradual increases in pay as they gain experience? Or should they be treated like lawyers and businessmen, who are rewarded with high returns for successful performance? As shown by the groundbreaking contract she proposed to the Washington, D.C. Teachers' Union, Michelle Rhee, the new chancellor of the Washington public schools, clearly advocates the latter approach. Many of Rhee's ideas are controversial among members of teachers' unions. The young, stoic Rhee opposes teacher tenure and supports regularly weeding out teachers who don't perform well in the classroom, and her views have caused much furor since her appointment in June of 2007. Meanwhile, some teachers working in an already high-stress environment under unfair principals are worried about keeping their jobs. In the end, Rhee's proposed contract, with some modifications, should be adopted not only in D.C., but also nationwide. If more administrative oversight and other provisions are created to protect good teachers, Michelle Rhee's proposal will help recruit and retain qualified teachers from both post-secondary institutions and the professional world alike.

What does Michelle Rhee's contract actually look like? As proposed to the Washington Teachers' Union, it asks teachers to exchange job security for a chance at a much higher salary in one of two ways. The first tier, termed "red," allows tenured teachers to exchange a few seniority benefits for large salary increases. The second, "green" tier, requires teachers to relinquish their tenure but, based on how well they perform, earn between $100,000 and $131,000 a year after 5 years (more than twice the average American teacher's annual salary after 20 years of teaching). The catch? By signing on, teachers will spend a year on probation and can be fired if their performance is not up to par. This contract certainly has its flaws, but it is a huge step in the right direction.

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