Agenda - 11-10-1998 - Attachment #8

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or enhancement to a new hire would be unfair to persons previously hired who had not benefited from similar enhancements. The Advisory Committee considered multiple supplement options prior to selecting the four options submitted to the Board of Education. One of the discarded options that received much attention was based on professional preparation and additional responsibilities. This option provided a 10 percent base supplement for all teachers, a $2500 supplement for up to 20 percent of a school's faculty to support lead teacher responsibilities, and an 8 percent supplement for attaining master teacher designation. The Committee believed that the availability of leadership ositions for which the supplement could be earned were too limited in number (�20 percent) to allow a wide range of participation. Teachers felt this type of program would be hard to administer and an "add -on" to their present responsibilities. Teachers were distrustful of the types of criteria that might be established in selecting persons for these leadership roles. Baying the competitive nature of such a supplement would lower morale, teachers indicated that accountability already has been incorporated in the ABC Plan, the Excellent Schools Act, and the National Teacher Certification Program and, therefore, is not needed in a local supplement program. Conclusion Clearly, teachers are very concerned about any contemplated modifications to the local teacher supplement schedule. Teachers already feel underpaid so that any proposal which raises the possibility of their future earnings being less than what they currently anticipate is met with strong opposition, hurt feelings, and a sense of not being supported by the Board of Education and the administration. Consequently, all four of the proposed options, coupled with the grandfathering clause, ensure that all currently employed teachers will either benefit from the new plan or continue to receive the supplements prescribed in the present plan. The four options are all sound and defensible and become much more acceptable to our teachers if they are implemented with the proposed grandfather clause which would allow currently employed teachers to decide whether to select the new plan or remain under the present plan. All four options would allow us to accurately characterize our supplement schedule as the best in the state for teachers at all experience levels. Removal of the ten -year cap would allow experienced teachers who join our district and, subsequently are tenured, to receive the same compensation as teachers with similar years of experience who have worked in the district longgeer. Finally, the enhancements that are recommended would allow us to recruit more effectively and to support the professional growth of our teachers. The Board of Education is urged to provide as much support for these recommendations as is financially feasible so that they may be implemented as expeditiously as possible.