By Leslie Brody, Staff Writer. The Record.
Governor Christie on Friday called for schools across New Jersey and the nation to emulate the performance-pay provisions in Newark’s new teachers’ contract, but some skeptics were asking how other districts could afford to follow suit.
About $50 million of a 2010 gift from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg helped pay for provisions in the five-year contract, including higher base salaries for all Newark teachers plus annual raises for teachers who are rated well under a new evaluation system. The contract, which the Newark Teachers’ Union ratified Wednesday, also includes additional bonuses that could add up to $12,500 annually for teachers deemed “highly effective” in the most struggling schools and hard-to-staff subjects.
The deal was hailed by many education advocates as one of the boldest performance pay plans in the country. Christie acknowledged that, in the next few years, other districts would likely need outside donors to finance such incentives.
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