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Performance Pay Could Cut Teacher Salaries
Performance Pay Could Cut Teacher
Salaries
The Minister of Education's
refusal to say how much extra top teachers would earn under
a performance pay system raises questions about whether the
government's real agenda is to cut the teacher wage bill
rather than boost teacher quality.
The government
announced the introduction of performance pay and a cut of
many teacher jobs because of the increases in class sizes,
in a pre-Budget announcement on Wednesday. It claims the
moves will improve teacher quality.
NZEI National
Secretary Paul Goulter says typically performance pay
systems overseas have not increased the overall funding for
salaries and reward only a few teachers at the top, while
other teachers' pay is actually reduced.
"Given the
Minister's statement, it is hard to avoid the conclusion
that the government's decision to introduce performance pay
is driven by a desire to cut budgets, not to improve teacher
quality," he says. "But introducing performance pay would be
a false economy given last week's OECD report on performance
pay for teachers that found no clear link between the use of
performance-based pay schemes and student achievement."
"We have a highly successful schooling system here
which depends in large part on the high quality of the
teachers in it. Our teachers are sought out all over the
world, and are paid more in Australia and the UK than they
would be in New Zealand. If we want to maintain a great
teaching workforce to help ensure New Zealand children
continue to succeed educationally, we need sustainable
salaries to attract the best teachers."
He says Ms
Parata needs to give the public an assurance that teachers
will continue to be paid a fair salary, in line with other
tertiary-educated professionals.
"The public and
teachers will justifiably be suspicious of a performance pay
system that drives down wages and in fact reduces the
quality of education for our children."
“What
teachers would support is working with the government to
build a fair pay system that recognises expertise and
skills, is based on good quality evidence and is not linked
to dodgy National Standards data."
Ms Parata has said the average teacher pay is $71,000; this salary is the top of the teacher scale after seven years and is therefore also the maximum level most teachers reach. It is near the average because roughly two-thirds of teachers currently have taught for seven years or more. For more details on teacher pay see http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SchoolEmployment/TopicsOfInterest/BaseSalaryandAllowances.aspx
ENDS
NZEI Te Riu Roa
New Zealand Educational Institute
NZEI Te Riu Roa members work in every community in New Zealand, leading and advocating for quality public education.
We are the 50,000 principals, teachers and support staff who work in primary, area and secondary schools as well as early childhood centres, special education and school advisory services. We come together as NZEI Te Riu Roa - New Zealand's largest education union, a Treaty based organisation and a powerful advocate for quality public education.
We have the most important job in New Zealand - educating for the future.
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