Three of Texas’ largest school districts recently paid more than $35 million in performance bonuses to their employees.
Houston ISD paid the lion’s share of the bonuses in January, with more than $31 million in awards—$7 million more than last year—given to more than 15,700 employees for the academic growth of the district’s students. The top recipient, a high school English teacher, earned approximately $8,580. Teacher bonuses averaged $2,777. The district has drawn national attention for its performance pay intiative, one of the most ambitious efforts of its type.
More than 1,200 Dallas ISD employees received bonuses ranging from several hundred dollars to $10,000 (the maximum award for teachers) in December for boosting student achievement. The district’s total payout was $3.2 million. Dallas ISD employees had the option of joining the program last spring and approximately 65 percent did. Roughly one in five of those who joined earned awards. Next year, the program goes districtwide, and participation will not be optional.
Austin ISD gave bonuses to 335 teachers and six principals at six campuses for student growth on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. The awards for teachers ranged from $2,000 to $4,000. Principals were eligible for bonuses of up to $8,000. A total of 11 campuses currently participate in the district’s strategic compensation intiative. Austin has opted for a gradual expansion of its program but intends to offer it districtwide in the future.
—“Academic Growth of HISD Students Leads to Record-Breaking Bonuses,” Houston ISD Web site, Jan. 28, 2009.
—“1,200 DISD workers get bonuses for boosting student achievement,” by Kent Fischer, The Dallas Morning News, Dec. 16, 2008.
—“Austin teachers getting nearly $1M in bonuses,” by Molly Bloom, Austin American-Statesman, Dec. 17, 2008.
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has approved a growth measure to be used by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to see whether students are meeting annual performance goals. The Texas Projection Measure (TPM) (pdf) will track student achievement on state tests from year to year, giving schools credit for student improvement over time.
When TPM is available, districts and schools will be able to receive credit for students who don’t meet passing standards on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test but show that they have the ability to pass in a subsequent year. Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott lauded the change as a way to recognize the accomplishments of schools and students when they make significant educational progress but fail to pass.
The growth measure was approved contingent on the agency receiving final approval from the USDE on an alternate TAKS test for students with disabilities.
In January, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released a list of subject-matter teacher shortage areas and a list of designated low-income schools. Teachers with student loans working in low-income schools and teaching one of the shortage-area subjects may qualify for partial loan forgiveness, deferment, or cancellation benefits. The list of shortage areas for 2008–09 is as follows:
Three different programs are available to provide loan forgiveness for teachers, each with its own eligibility requirements. A list of those programs, frequently-asked questions, and other important information is available on TEA’s Web site 
.
In 2008, U.S. employers were able to hold health care cost increases to 6 percent for the fourth straight year, but they had to shift more cost to employees to do it.
Median deductibles of $1,000 are now the norm for employees with individual coverage through a preferred provider organization (PPO). That’s double the median deductible reported in 2007, according to the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans conducted by HR consultancy Mercer.
What’s noteworthy is that PPOs are generally not high-deductible health plans. When employers face significant cost increases, raising employee deductibles has become the fallback position.
Employees in high-deductible plans ($1,100 for single coverage and $2,200 for family coverage in 2008) deposit pre-tax dollars into a health savings account (HSA) for their use. Such consumer-driven health plans are spreading rapidly and may have changed employers’ thinking about the deductible cost employees are willing to bear.
—“$1,000 Deductibles Now the Norm,” by Stephen Miller, HR Magazine, January 2009.
A December 2008 survey shows that three of four U.S. employers will provide an employee salary increase in 2009. WorldatWork conducted this update to an earlier survey after the presidential election and the tightening of the credit markets, once companies had time to reassess their compensation plans.
The survey indicates that employers will offer an average salary budget increase of 3.1 percent. That’s down .8 percent from an April 2008 survey on salary budget projections.
WorldatWork President Anne C. Ruddy noted that the silver lining in the current difficult economic climate is that employers remain committed to rewarding employees, particularly top performers.
—“Three Out of Four U.S. Employees Can Expect a Raise in 2009,” by Stephen Miller, Society for Human Resource Management Web site, Feb. 6, 2009.
Members of France’s leading teacher union recently protested President Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposed high school reforms by hurling shoes and other objects at police, who responded with tear gas.
Sarkozy’s government wants to modernize the French education system to better prepare students for the job market. It also plans to cut costs by eliminating some administrator and teacher’s aide jobs, a move many fear will lead to overcrowded classes and limit the subjects taught.
High school students across France have also protested the reforms, prompting the government to delay putting final plans in place. If Sarkozy has his way, the delay will end in September 2010, when he wants the reforms to start.
—“French Teachers Throw Shoes Over Education Reforms,” by Laurent Pirot, Associated Press, Jan. 12, 2009.
