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Teachers To Vote On Bonus Proposal

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 5, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County school district and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a bonus-pay plan that teachers will vote on in two weeks.

The Merit Award Program was initiated by the Legislature and is voluntary for school districts. Hillsborough County's plan already is in place.

Under the plan being voted on by Pasco teachers Sept. 20, teachers who qualified for merit pay would receive a 5 percent bonus.

The state rules say the bonus cannot be less than 5 percent or more than 10 percent.

By using the lower figure, more teachers will be eligible for a bonus, said Lynne Webb, president of United School Employees of Pasco.

Webb estimated that 20 percent to 25 percent of teachers would receive the bonus.

Pasco has about 5,000 teachers.

After the teachers vote, the plan would go before the Pasco County School Board for final approval Sept. 25. The deadline for having the plan submitted to the state is Oct. 1.

MAP replaced a state-mandated bonus-pay plan called Special Teachers Are Rewarded. The school board voted against implementing STAR, even though there were potential financial penalties from the state for doing so.

STAR generated so much opposition across the state, though, that the Legislature dropped it and came up with MAP.

Webb told the school board Tuesday that MAP is an improvement over the previous plan but that there are concerns.

For example, although the state funds the bonuses, the school district must pay to implement the program, she said, including the development of end-of-year course exams.

Those exams and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests are part of the criteria for measuring student achievement and determining whether a teacher qualifies for the bonuses.

Timing also is a problem, Webb said. 'It is right on the heels of STAR,' she said, and that could cause confusion.

Also, Webb noted that the vote on the bonus-pay plan comes when teachers are concerned about their regular annual raises.

Negotiations on employee pay increases are on hold because the district is waiting to see what the Legislature does about a statewide budget shortfall.

The Legislature is to meet in a special session that begins Sept. 18.

Webb said there are positives to MAP. The plan allows teachers to work as a team. STAR would have pitted teachers against one another, she said. Teachers don't have to apply. They are considered for the bonus simply by doing their jobs, Webb said.

Also, MAP carries no financial penalty for the district if Pasco chooses not to participate.

Webb said the union won't take a stand on MAP but will work with the district to provide information on the plan to teachers.

Assistant Superintendent Renalia Dubose said the district and union are working on a one-page fact sheet and short video.

Teachers also will be able to download a copy of the tentative union agreement, she said.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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