But more than a decade after the city adopted such a system, Wilson, an English teacher, says it has morphed into “a monster of unintended consequences.”
Pay-for-performance models like Denver’s offer teachers bonuses for raising student achievement and for taking on tougher assignments, such as in schools with many students from low-income families. Wilson and many of her fellow educators across the country say that this model — once hailed as a way to motivate teachers — has delivered erratic bonuses while their base salaries stagnate amid rising living costs.
“We’ve been experimented on and it didn’t work,” said Wilson, 45. “And it’s time for us to say: ‘No, no, no.'”
She was on a picket line in the bitter cold Monday, striking with more than 2,000 other educators to protest the pay system she had once promoted.
)
)
)
Denver’s pay system, called ProComp, went into effect in 2006 and became a national model.
The foundational principle of ProComp — evaluating teachers according to how well their students perform — was later enshrined in Colorado law and then in Race to the Top, President Barack Obama’s signature education initiative.
But such evaluation models typically required more testing of students to gather evidence of teacher impact — a change that was unpopular with parents, students and educators alike.
Since 2016, federal and state laws have shifted districts away from using student performance to judge teachers.
Denver teachers say they are struggling to pay off student loans and cannot afford rent, much less buy a home.
The average Denver teacher earns $63,400 per year, including any ProComp bonuses.
Denver schools are staying open during the job action, with striking teachers replaced by substitutes who will be paid $212 a day, double the district's normal rate. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and the founder of two charter schools, has said the strike would cost the district $400,000 a day, representing 1 to 2 percent of the annual budget if it lasts one week.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.