By Lauren Burdick
<[email protected]>

On Sept. 24, Oak Forest Elementary School in Jackson, MS became the only school in its school system to take part in a performance-based compensation pilot program. Along with nine other schools in eight Mississippi school districts, Oak Forest will evaluate its educators on their level of teaching, rather than the number of years they in which they have served. This pilot program represents the necessity that is the end to tenure, as apathetic teachers only hurt their students by striving for less than their best ability. The same day, the Davis Guggenheim documentary Waiting for Superman premiered in theaters, describing America’s public school system as an “academic sinkhole,” in no small part due to the tenure system.

While this is certainly not to disparage the fundamental education I have received in the Carmel-Clay School system, it is the few “less-than-motivated” teachers that have afforded me the greatest amount of stress in my years as a student. Tenure surely holds some amount of job security for all educators, but its cases of abuse occur often, leading to a lack of instruction and stress for students expected to master material without a guide.

As a strictly type-A personality, I have spent countless nights, after going to work and finishing dance practice, sitting at my kitchen table, struggling over a seemingly impossible problem or questioning vague instructions on an assignment. Rarely do references to notes help in my plight, and while I have made many a hurried phone call to a fellow classmate, the majority of the time, he is just as confused as I. It is in these panicked moments when I realize my confusion may not always be the fault of my shoddy note taking or frequent in-class daydreams; I know I should be able to master the task at hand. The root of the problem lies in unmotivated teachers who choose to live from one passing period to the next rather than taking an active interest in the ultimate well being of their students. Tenure only promotes laziness. Nearly complete job security makes the effects of complaints by parents and tearful kids visiting their counselors become negligible.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not solely the product of this school; rather, it is in action across the board. While comments and complaints are surely welcome at all schools in the system looking to strive for the greatest success of their teachers and students, there is little the administrators in this system can do about inefficient given the tenure system. While administrators can conference with instructors about teaching styles and ways to connect with their respective students, it is in the teachers’ hands to ultimately decide what goes on in their classrooms. Tenure leaves principals and other administrators with an extremely limited jurisdiction over what students learn. The abolition of tenure pay will bring with it the opportunity for the concerns of parents to be heard by the leaders of schools, and ideas about teachers can be implemented more easily.

Additionally, merit-based pay, all teachers will work toward the greatest success in their classrooms in order to increase their paychecks. As the number of students achieving above average grades in a teacher’s classroom increases, their pocketbooks will inflate proportionally. While the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers strongly oppose switching to a merit-based pay system, it should be at the hands of the school administrators to distribute pay according to talent. Merit-based pay makes sense on principle: a teacher with 50 percent of students failing does not deserve the same size paycheck as a teacher with 90 percent of students receiving a passing grade. In a time when education is at the forefront of many midterm political debates, the focus should be kept on the students and their ultimate success.

I hold no false precedents; I realize just how lucky I am to attend one of the best school systems in the state, if not the nation. My years in Carmel have afforded me countless opportunities that I would not be privy to had I attended any other school. That being said, many of those opportunities have been ones I have made for myself. Without my inherent motivation, I would not have been as successful. In few instances was my success in school the product of teachers holding my hands and leading me through the way; I have accomplished most of my schooling through my own intellect and drive. For others, education is different. It requires more hands-on teaching and guidance from educators. Teachers unwilling to do so should be accordingly paid. Merit-based pay maximizes opportunities for all students, giving them equal chances to excel.

Throughout my schooling, I have taken the most challenging and interesting classes, and, with a few notable exceptions, I have been privy to the most motivated and eager teachers. I only wish that my friends and classmates had the same opportunities I had. Through tenure, many of those who are not passionate about their job and are subsequently inefficient are left in their positions to watch their students drown in unexplained notes and questionable exams. As the benefits of merit-based pay are exposed in the Mississippi schools, one can only hope that the century-old system of tenured pay is doctored to fit the changing complexion and abilities of students.