The current system ignores the reality that is apparent to
anyone who has ever been a student in a classroom: all teachers are
not equal
It’s certainly not a fortune, but the median wage in the Gilroy Unified School District for teachers – $65,434 – isn’t too shabby. Half the teachers make more than that amount, and half make less.

The lowest base pay – $40,017 – is respectable as well. And the truth is, when comparing teacher pay to other districts, Gilroy’s teachers are clearly on par. Beginning teachers in the Oak Grove School District in San Jose, for example, earn $40,049.

That’s good news. GUSD School Board members have made teacher compensation a top priority, and the district has made a concerted effort to deliver better paychecks to teachers. That’s accountability: defining priorities and direction and delivering a result that’s measurable and consistent with the goals.

Now comes the tough part – recognizing that all teachers are not created equal. Some work harder than others, some are better classroom managers, some are more effective communicators, some are well organized and some produce better measurable student results.

It’s something Americans all know, having been students at one time, and innately understand. Yet, despite that, our public school system rewards teachers equally via a lockstep, union-driven negotiation process that so appropriately relies on a mechanism called “step-and-column” increases based on years of service and educational credits. That system turns a blind eye to reality.

GUSD – or more importantly our community – desperately needs more math teachers with expertise and experience. Yet, to a large degree, the district’s hands are tied in being able to attract and retain those teachers with a better paycheck.

Certainly neither retention nor attraction is only about the money. School discipline, classroom support, administrative accountability and student preparedness all play into a teacher’s decision to come, stay or leave. But money plays an important factor. In recognizing that, GUSD trustees should willfully explore every opportunity, however seemingly inconsequential, to negotiate so that incentives are in place for those teachers who are better and more productive.

That should be one of the top priorities for school trustees. If trustees ignore the fundamental truth that all teachers are not equal, the public school system becomes a house of cards.

Classroom teachers can make all the difference in the world. This we know. Changing the system to reward those who make all the difference is the next step in rebuilding the public education system so that our students can compete in an ever-shrinking world. “Think globally, act locally” applies here and now in every Gilroy classroom.

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