Published: October 29, 2007 01:54 pm      

OEA president says merit pay plan flawed

Roy Bishop traveled to Ada Friday with a clear message: The push by House Speaker Lance Cargill and others to implement merit pay for teachers in Oklahoma is a flawed plan.

Bishop, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, said he would consider supporting a fair plan for teacher performance pay. But the one being touted by Cargill doesn’t pass the litmus test.

“Legislators must first fulfill their promise to get Oklahoma teachers’ pay up to the regional average,” said Bishop, a former classroom teacher. “Currently, state teacher salaries are ranked last in the region and 47th nationally. One-size-does-not-fit all when it comes to a merit plan for pay raises. ”

Cargill, R-Harrah, has been a proponent of performance pay for Oklahoma teachers for several years, but even supporters don’t seem to know what the plan would resemble or what the costs would be.

No matter which side of the issue Oklahomans support, any movement toward merit pay should be taken with caution, Bishop warns.

The state House Education Committee held several meetings recently to hear all sides of the debate. Even the educators — both teachers and administrators — who appeared were far from united on the idea of merit pay — one that’s been around for many years.

Supporters believe achievement scores of Oklahoma students would rise if educators’ pay was based on performance. But even Cargill and other supporters agree that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution as they try to craft a plan.

Bishop said a possible legislative-mandated merit pay plan could end up like other programs — stymied by a lack of funding.

Bishop said the state Legislature has not fulfilled its obligation as Oklahoma teacher’s pay still lags $1,000 to $1,200 below the regional average.

But Cargill and state Rep. Tad Jones, R-Claremore, the chairman of the House Education Committee, say there will be no new teacher raises without merit playing a role. They claim the state has met its obligation be giving an average $4,800 raise over the last three years.

Oklahoma has about 53,000 teachers.

Longer school days, years

Sandy Garrett told state lawmakers Oct. 2 that an extended school year and longer school day could improve student learning, but only if the time teachers have now is maximized.

Garrett, state schools superintendent, proposed in July to extend the school year by at least five days, which would bring the number of instructional school days up to 180, or 185 days total with existing professional development days for teachers.

Garrett also recommended lenghtening the school day by one hour, giving teachers at least seven hours, in most cases, to teach.

The proposal could cost $80 million to $100 million to add the five days, not including making each day longer. State House Educatioin Committee members listened to Garrett and other education officials as part of a study looking at the feasibility of keeping Oklahoma children in school longer.

Garrett told the committee that Chinese children who graduate from high school have gone to school four years longer than most Oklahoma graduates when the extra time they spend in the classroom is factored in. She said Oklahoma has one of the shortest school years in the region.

One of the major concerns of teachers at the meeting was the prevalence of extracurricular activities in schools and how much classroom time students are missing for pep rallies, band trips, sports events and other things.

“Again, we insist that our elected leaders keep their promise of getting teacher pay to the regional average before addressing extending instructional time,” Bishop said. “Research proves that increasing the quality of instructional time is more important than increasing the quantity of time in school.”

OEA, an affiliate of the National Education Association, was founded Oct. 19, 1889, as the Oklahoma Teachers Association. The organization represents more than 40,000 members: public school teachers, coaches, counselors, administrators, nurses, librarians, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, secretaries and other support personnel, retired teachers and education majors at Oklahoma colleges and universities.

OEA headquarters are located at 323 E. Madison in Oklahoma City, For additional information, phone (405) 528-7785 or (800) 522-8091 or go online at www.oea.org.

OEA claims adding an extra hour to the school day and five more instructional days would cost about $300 million.

Bishop said local school districts should decide whether or not the school day and year is extended.

“The concept of adding more time (to the school day and year) doesn’t lend itself to a one-size-fits-all policy,” he said. “For example, high-performing schools are effectively utilizing their time. Rural schools, like most of those in Pontotoc County, have other issues with adding time to the day. Many children are on the school bus as early as 6:30 a.m. to as late as 4:30 p.m. Adding another hour to the school day could create very long days for some to four youngest students.