http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2008/10/20/teachers_should_be_paid_on_per Comments On: Teachers Should Be Paid On Performance by Matt Davis en-us Copyright 2009 Portland Mercury. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Portland Mercury readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Portland Mercury. webmaster@portlandmercury.com (Portland Mercury Webmaster) Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:30:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Ethnic Redneck]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:39:27 -0800 Portland Mercury
If teachers got paid by results, maybe we wouldn't have such a shotty, crappy, inefficient, incapable school system that provides people with inferior education.

Seriously, meritocracy would probably work far better, and has proven to work far better, than seniority based pay. So as most here seem to be against the bill just because it is sponsered by Bill Sizemore...

...what is the proposal for paying teachers? Do we pay them on seniority and let them continue to produce crappy results? I know the system needs fixed as a whole, probably better if we just throw it away. But I don't see how cost of living or any type of basis helps ANYBODY that actually attends the schools get a better education.

Truly sad.

...and ya know, I scrolled back over these comments and yet to see a single actual solution being proposed, just a bunch of complaining. Unlike me, I'm sure SOMEBODY that commented has some vested interest in making the schools better. Somebody got some solutions? ???
Posted by Adron]]> Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:06:31 -0700 Portland Mercury
Jack, that's not true at all. Go talk to a teacher. Regardless, I agree with nearly all of the posters here. If the Merc ever learns to back down, now should be the time.

Jacomus, I love you.
Posted by A cat]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:31:44 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by CS]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:06:35 -0700 Portland Mercury
1. Go me. That rules. Thanks, Matt!

2. Jacomus d'Paganus-Fatuus? I think I love you.

3. Bill Sizemore is an ACTUAL criminal, that is not up for debate:

http://www.blueoregon.com/2007/09/bill-siz…

http://www.nwlaborpress.org/2002/10-4-02Si…

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index…

Oh, and there's this too:

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2006/0…

And this:

http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/the-si…

OOPS!

Now I realize that neither of these opinion pieces (AKA the whole paper that I still like despite this dumbassery) were written by Matt Adams or Amy Ruiz but still made me squee a little bit when the Google search "Mercury+Sizemore+Fraud+Racketeering" came up with 2 Merc results on the first page. Heehee. And here I thought I was having a crappy day at work.

I maintain that nothing this cretin does should be endorsed by anyone in their right mind. Trotting out that he's a "father of four public school students" is a nice cheap ploy to make us feel soooo bad about blasting the guy. Well? Tough shit. Don't break the law, profit grotesquely off the supposedly democratic initiative process, fess up to it (Mexican timeshare, anyone?), somehow not end up in jail and still live another day to slime another election.

And come on, dude. Since when in the new millennium is American politics NOT about "personalities over ideas?" That is nothing but a thinly-veiled set-up to your crack about Portlanders that I already made in so many words about your drug-addled, tight-pants'd staff in my profane and probably slightly immature comments a couple of days ago. Cheap shot(s)? Yup. But at least do it first next time.

Heart you!

Happily voting for Obama, against Measure 60 and driving to Fred Meyer for my groceries,

Iris
Posted by Iris]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:48:22 -0700 Portland Mercury
1. There is no fair way to examine the merit.
2. There is only a finite number of good teachers, so you're admitting to just shuffling teachers from one place to another.
3. You're never going to out pay the private schools.
4. Where is the part about better training in the text? Nowhere. Just because someone wants to pay me an extra $10K to be better at my job, money isn't what ultimately will make me better... I'll need better training, mentoring, etc.
5. Vagueness is good? Ummm, WTF. The "concept" of universal socialized healthcare is good, too, but it's kind of hard to budget and implement just a concept.

Posted by Jack Acid]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:30:47 -0700 Portland Mercury
Got you to open a Mercury blog account, didn't I?

I remain a pompous ass who enjoys tweeking twits,

Jacomus
Posted by Jacomus d'Paganus-Fatuus]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:49:16 -0700 Portland Mercury
Just admit that you didn't put any research or critical thought into this decision and move on-- enough with the shallow arguments and inane justifications. (Vagueness is an advantage! Teachers will decide! Mt. Tabor is about to blow!)

I would have thought it would have been impossible to further damage the Merc's reputation as a reliable source of local opinion and news after years of ham-handed coverage of city politics, but Amy and Matt have found a way to accomplish it with their support of this measure.
Posted by newsInQuotes]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:17:16 -0700 Portland Mercury
Matt is the only real journalist at the mercury? What are you even talking about? You have no idea what the hell you're saying. Stick to the issue. We get it, you don't agree with their decision. Keep the immature and incredibly inaccurate personal attacks to yourself.
Posted by Jennifer]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:48:57 -0700 Portland Mercury
Yep. That worked with the whole "authorization for use of force in Iraq." Thank god nobody actually voted for war. We avoided the fuck out of that worst case scenario.
Posted by Jimmy Kaufmann]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:15:49 -0700 Portland Mercury
Is that really all the contempt you can muster for your own readers, Matt? If the way we do things here in Portland bothers you that much, there's a great big world out there waiting for nobody other than YOU, pal...
Posted by Tommy]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:32:07 -0700 Portland Mercury
It's kind of amusing that anyone who has covered, for example, local Portland politics can say such a thing, arguing it will lead to a good consensus result, with a straight face.
Posted by The One True b!X]]> Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:22:36 -0700 Portland Mercury
Darling Editors: Did we really not put an end to this after the Tropic Thunder idiocy???
Posted by A cat]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:28:48 -0700 Portland Mercury
Kids in a district like ours don't have the challenges that many kids in rural or urban areas. Oregon schools are all funded equally--but affluent areas like Lake Oswego, West Linn, Wilsonville, Sherwood all have Education Foundations and PAC's or PTA's that fund many, many programs.

My daughter's elementary school recently had a Fun Run Fundraiser that raised over $50,000. That money will provide the kids with materials and field trips and educational opportunities that kids in North Portland are not going to have. More resources and more opportunities=smarter and better supported kids who are able to score higher on standardized tests. They also have huge volunteer programs (parents) who provide more one on one instruction. Do the the teachers in Sherwood deserve higher pay than the teachers at Portland Public just because more of the Sherwood students have parents that give their time and money to their children's school? That's not fair to the teachers and it certainly isn't fair to the kids.

We need to find a new way to fund education in our state and make it a priority instead of finding ways to cut our teacher's pay. That's what Sizemore's bill is about--it's not to help students in Oregon, it's an attempt to cut funding to education.

All public employees and elected officials should be held to standards like any other industry. My wife works for the state of Oregon and if she was paid on merit, we would be rich. That's just not the way that it works in every industry.
Posted by Kathryn Martini]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:47:23 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by ingrid]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:29:50 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by tk.]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:17:51 -0700 Portland Mercury
a.) merit and competence are already among the current considerations for pay (along with seniority and collective bargaining)

b.) the proposed changes are based on undefined standards

Yes, we should compensate our teachers better-- many people who would make wonderful teachers choose instead to make twice as much money in the private sector, and with the extra accreditation and schooling, it's a small wonder why-- but there are better ways to do it. Vague policy changes and, on both sides, bitching about the "personalities" involved, isn't going to make any significant impact on something that's been a problem for decades.
Posted by tk.]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:09:18 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by mjb]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:56:56 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by egads]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:40:11 -0700 Portland Mercury
Older people get paid more than younger people, it happens in most professions. What are you blathering on about?

Merit pay is awesome, firing bad teachers is awesome. What's your point? This is neither. Maybe a ballot measure could be crafted that would combine the two in some cool, progressive way but this is not the way to start. Anyone who is involved in education or lawmaking agrees its a bad idea.
Posted by newsInQuotes]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:53:17 -0700 Portland Mercury
Amy, My little sister is a public school elementary teacher. If you think the "vagueness" of such a measure is "a plus", you're a fucking moron. Please talk to an actual teacher, that teaches at an actual school.

Ta,
A Cat
Posted by A cat]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:01:12 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by winterwren]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:59:41 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by winterwren]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:57:04 -0700 Portland Mercury
If a merit pay idea can work, it will work because the "unions shook hands" on it. I'm not sure why that's not obvious to you.
Posted by Jimmy Kaufmann]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:30:37 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by ben]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:36:45 -0700 Portland Mercury