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Top scores yield bounty for local school workers
Program criticized
By Rebecca Ray
The days of a teacher receiving a polished apple for a job well done have given way to a much more remunerative award--a check from the state.
The California Legislature has allocated $350 million to be used as school performance bonus money, which will be distributed to schools that improved their scores on standardized tests. Each person filling a full-time position at the schools is expected to receive a check for $591.32 when the money is dispensed in April.
But not everyone is happy with the arrangement.
"I'm delighted that we're receiving money, and the more money we can get to support our programs, the better off we are," said Raf Strudley, principal at Lexington Elementary School in Los Gatos.
In Saratoga, Sue Brooks, principal of Argonaut Elementary School, was less complimentary of the largesse, which was approved by the state legislature. Brooks said she thought the awards program was detrimental to education and that it created competition among schools.
"There are ways of giving incentive and holding people accountable without tying scores to money. I'd rather not take the money, but how can we say no?" she said.
Under state Senate Bill 1667, half the money each school receives will specifically be used on bonuses for the school's staff members--from custodians to administrators--while the other half will be used for other, "unrestricted" uses, which will be determined by staff members, administrators and parents at each school.
Some staff members at Argonaut have suggested using the unrestricted portion of the funds to further increase staff bonuses, while others have suggested using them for instructional materials and extra services. Still, others have suggested giving them to Redwood Middle School--which is not receiving any money because its students did not improve their scores on the SAT9 test--or to another school that was more socioeconomically needy.
$$$: A listing of performance bonus amounts received by Saratoga and Los Gatos schools.
In February, the California Department of Education gave money to schools based on students' performance on the Stanford Achievement Test (Ninth Edition), which tests second- through twelfth-graders in reading, math, language and spelling. To get money, schools that scored 800 or above on the test in 1999--when it was first administered--had to improve their scores by at least one point in 2000, while schools that scored less than 800 in 1999 had to meet certain growth targets.
State Senate Bill IX, which was passed in 1999, allocated the funds for schoolwide use, and parents, staff members and administrators at the schools are now deciding how to spend them.
Rita Matthews, principal of Prospect High School in Saratoga, is skeptical about the awards program for a different reason. With funds currently used for emergencies relating to the energy crisis, Matthews fears the state may cut some of the money going to schools, and that schools will not receive all the money promised, she said.
But, Matthews added, she is ecstatic that Prospect is receiving more than $110,000, since she has not seen a school in Prospect's district receive so much money for academic performance in the 28 years she's worked in the Campbell Union High School District.
At Lexington, most of the funds that have been designated for unrestricted purposes will support library materials and personnel. Staff members will determine what they would like to do with the rest of the money at the beginning of the next school year, Strudley said.
At Saratoga High School, the school site council has received grant applications from teachers and staff members, and has approved spending the unrestricted portion of the money on projectors for presentations, computers and musical instruments, said Saratoga High School Principal Kevin Skelly.
Other schools are less sure how they'll spend the unrestricted portion of the money. "Anything we use the funding for we want to be an enhancement to our program and that will help us increase student achievement," said Susan Von Felten, principal of Daves Avenue Elementary School in Los Gatos. She added that she was happy that schools were receiving money that help the schools teach for the rigorous state standards.
Of the schools in Los Gatos receiving money, Lexington--which has the least number of staff positions at less than 19--will receive roughly $20,000, while Los Gatos High School, which has the most positions at almost 142, will receive more than $167,000.
In Saratoga, the range is from nearly 37 positions at Marshall Lane Elementary School, which will receive about $43,000, to Saratoga High School with almost 99 positions, which will receive more than $116,000.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
