Report: M-D Schools Begin Merit Pay System

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Some Miami-Dade teachers saw a little bit extra in their paychecks as the school district became the first in the state to jump into merit or performance pay.

The statewide merit pay plan will not take effect until 2014, but Miami-Dade got a head start this year.

According to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, around 120 teachers may receive bonuses that range from $4,000 to $25,000 based on their students FCAT scores.

Miami-Dade is the largest district to tackle merit-ay after areas like Texas and New York have scrapped or deeply slashed their merit-pay systems due to lack of money and results, according to the Herald.

"Even though it's not a perfect system, it is the best one in the nation," Miami-Dade superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Herald. "It was done — rather than by imposition — through negotiation."

Still, with the state eventually choosing to base teacher pay on FCAT scores; it runs the risk of having teachers teaching tests, which will impact them as they head into higher education.

Roughly 85 percent of the Miami-Dade districts more than 20,000 teachers will qualify for extra money. Most of the bonuses will range from $500 to more than $1,500, according to the Herald.

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