Leaders of San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) and San Jose Teachers Association (SJTA) announced their agreement last week on a unique and innovative evaluation and compensation system. Over the past two years, Gregory J. Dannis of Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK) acted as Chief Negotiator for SJUSD and is co-author and co-architect of this new approach that promises to set new standards and inspire many in the field.
In part, the agreement:
- Links pay and performance and provides impetus for an improvement plan;
- Creates a new position of Consulting Teacher whereby teachers participate with principals on evaluations of experienced teachers and in Teacher Quality Panels;
- Provides for multiple perspectives on a teacher’s work in an evaluation, including student growth measures, informal classroom walkthroughs, formal observations, and personal reflections;
- Establishes new model and master teacher positions, in three-year assignments, with pay nearly 10 percent higher for model teachers and 30 percent higher for master teachers than the usual maximum for veteran teachers; and
- Offers a new optional compressed salary schedule for teachers to reach a salary level in 13 years instead of 21 years, with those opting for the compressed schedule reaching maximum at the sooner-obtained salary level unless they become model or master teachers.
Greg Dannis offered his perspective: “It was a great honor to be a member of the team of administrators and teachers who over the course of two years put a lot of great ideas and hard work into this innovative plan. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn from these educational leaders, help facilitate creative discussions, and capture on paper the resulting innovations. Implementation depends on complicated funding matters in California – as is often the case these days – but the agreement itself is groundbreaking, and it expands the dialogue and opportunities ahead for California districts.”
You may find a recent article profiling the agreement and the challenges ahead by clicking the “Read More>” link.
DWK congratulates the leaders of SJUSD and SJTA on reaching this creative solution!
