If Colorado’s teachers unions are so powerful, how come teachers here are the worst paid in the 50 states (relative to other occupations, which is the best adjustment for cost-of-living, local labor markets, etc.)?
(Note: These data are from Ed Week’s 2010 Quality Counts – and unlikely any Colorado interest group, Ed Week has absolutely no stake in where Colorado ranks.)
Since Colorado teachers are the worst paid, when the economy and budgets recover, couldn’t there be a deal of more money for more accountability – more meaningful tenure earning, meaningful “4 point” evaluations rather than “satisfactory” for nearly all, no forced placements, being able to fire poor teachers, etc.?
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I would suspect that this disparity is partly because the unions have focused primarily on job protections and pay uniformity (see recent ProComp negotiations). There has certainly been some opportunity in previous years for increased teacher wages in exchange for greater accountability, but this has never been seen as an worthy trade.
The first step to increasing teacher wages is to allow for some differentiation in the pay scale. To pay teachers better we must first realize that they are not widgets either, and that their value is not linked simply to seniority and advanced degrees. Absolutely there should be more money in exchange for accountability — but there has to be some meaningful differentiation within the pay scale, and a difference in outcome based on performance.