Merit Pay - Gwinnett's New Pay System (Privatization, here we come)

As GCPS switches to a merit pay system next school year, there is a great deal of trepidation on the part of teachers at Title One schools as to how this will work equitably.  In fact, many of my more experienced colleagues have mentioned this as a reason to switch schools prior to the roll out.  They feel as if those teaching at more affluent schools (such as Millcreek HS and Brookwood HS) will have a natural advantage over Title One schools like Shiloh HS, Meadowcreek HS and Berkmar HS.  As such is the case, whether their opinions are based on facts or hearsay, can this new initiative ultimately cause a brain-drain in weaker schools?  Could we wind up with the best and the brightest teachers dramatically increasing their rate of abandonment of Title One schools as they head to the more secluded 'burbs?

Consider that more affluent schools in Gwinnett have an average of about 33% of their teaching staff with over 20 years experience, while Title One schools have only about 15% of theirs with the same amount of experience. With the numbers already stacked in their favor, merit pay (as it is being formulated in Gwinnett) will only exacerbate this disparity.  Anyone with a half-a-brain will quickly realize that if they teach at an affluent school, their chances of showing growth will increase dramatically--which will now put more money in their pocket.  If districts wanted to remedy this problem, it would seem to me they would incentivize Title One schools to attract the stronger teachers.

As I am not a rocket scientist by any means, I am sure that this issue must have come up somewhere in the preliminary discussions.  This ultimately means we will be knowingly providing the weakest students with the least experienced teachers and vice versa.  Struggling schools will most certainly become failing schools--leading to an increase in the number of failing schools.  Maybe I see race and politics in everything, but this "merit pay" feels like a ploy to move us toward privatization by stripping the best teachers away from needy schools.  When they roll this out to other districts -- Nathan Deal wants this to go statewide, so its not if, but when -- hopefully, we can do it in a way that helps rather than harms struggling schools.

Here's the article I pulled some info from:

http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/gwinnett-county-proposes-teacher-pay-plan-based-performance/jQBZIMUs7mxcOiD0d1GuKK/    

BTW, that's my fiancee cheesing from ear to ear in the pic