Teacher Perceptions about Alternative

Compensation:

Evidence from the DPS/DCTA

ProComp Project

Brad Jupp, Teacher Coordinator, DPS/DCTA ProComp Project

ProComp is a Radical Departure from the

Single Salary Schedule

• Replaces a capped system of entitlements with an uncapped system of earned increases, including increases for measured student growth

• Allows teachers to build a professional compensation package based on a wider range of choices

• Requires a $25 million property tax increase to be fully funded

Teachers Are More Open-Minded About Changes to

Their Compensation Systems than You Might Think

• DCTA survey data has consistently shown that two thirds or more of our members favor market incentives for working in hard to staff assignments and hard to serve schools

• DCTA survey data shows slightly more than 50% of our members believe that some portion of their pay should be based on accurately measured student growth

• Research by McREL and Douglas County Schools shows that teachers like having a range of compensation options

The Denver Experience Exposes Some

Basic Myths about Alternative Compensation

• Surveys and focus groups conducted during the Pay for Performance Pilot, a precursor to ProComp, showed consistently that individual teacher incentives based on measured student results did not harm collegial relations among teachers in a school

• Polling data from the ProComp ratification campaign showed that secondary teachers, especially those with more than 15 years experience were more interested in ProComp

Quick and Dirty Conclusions

• Teachers are not collectively committed to the single salary schedule

• An alternative compensation system must create real opportunities for teachers if they are to be expected to be supportive of it They want the system to be fair, manageable, sustainable,

and good for them and kids

They are right to be opposed to punitive systems or systems that conceal perverse incentives

• Overcoming the worst fears of teachers and their unions is hard work, in part because their worst fears are warranted

Thank You

DPS/DCTA ProComp Project

http://DenverProComp.org

720.423.3629

brad_jupp@dpsk12.org

Denver Public Schools -- A

Snapshot

• Denver Public Schools serves over 72,489 students in 143 schools and programs.

• The student population is highly diverse: 57% are Hispanic

18.9% are African American

19.7% are white

3.1% are Asian American

1.2% are American Indian.

Sixty-three (63) percent receive free or reduced-price lunch.

• There are about 4250 teachers and student service professionals

The ProComp “Menu” Is Composed of Ten

Elements Summary of Basic Facts, Components and Elements of the Professional Compensation System for Teachers

Basic Facts District Entry Salary $32,971 Index $32,971

ComponentsKnowledge and Ski lls Professional Evaluation Market Incentives Student Growth

Elements Salaryincrease of 2%Index forcompletingProfessionalDevelopment

Units

Salaryincrease of 9%of Index fo rcompletingdegrees orholding a

nationallicense

$1000 fortuitionreimbursement

Salaryincrease of 1%of index whenratedsatisfactory asprobationary

teacher

Salaryincrease of 3%of index whenratedsatisfactoryas non-

probationaryteacher

Bonus of3% of indexfor servingin a hard-to-staffassignment

Bonus of 3%of index forserving in ahard-to-serveassignment

SalaryIncrease of 1%of Index fo rMeet ing BothAnnualStudent

GrowthObjectives.Bonus of 1% ofIndex forMeet ing Oneof two AnnualStudentGrowthObjectives. NoIncrease forMeet ingNeitherObjective

Sustainableincrease of 3%of Index fo rexceedingexpectationson the CSAP

Test Noincrease formeetingexpectations.Sustainabledecrease of3% of index forfalling belowexpectationson the CSAPonly if apreviousincrease hasbeen earned.

Bonus of 2% ofIndex forserving in adistinguishedschool basedon multiple

measures ofstudentperformance.

Dollar Value ofIncrease WhenIndex is

$32,971

$659 $2,967 $1,000 $330 $989 $989 $989 $330 $989 $659

Does theIncrease Build

Pension andFinal AverageSalary Under

PERA?

Yes Yes No Yes Yes

No, but DPS andDCTA will seek tomake this element

bui ld pension by the0506 SY.

Yes Yes Yes

In what schoolyear will thiselement begin

operating?

2006-2007 2006-2007 2005-2006 2006-2007 2006-2007 2005-2006 2006-2007 2006-2007 2005-2006

ProComp Redefines a Teacher’s Career

Earnings Pattern

ProComp Rethinks and Expands How DPS

Spends Its Teacher Payroll

$0

$50,000,000

$100,000,000

$150,000,000

$200,000,000

$250,000,000

Current Pay Proposed Pay, 50 Year

Market Incentives

Student Growth

Knowledge & Skills

Professional Evaluation

Experience

Base Salary

71%

18%

9%

2%

59%

8%

8%

23%

2%

What’s Masked by this Summary?

• Transition Team a collaborative body established to govern the policy set forth in the

ProComp Agreement

• Transition Plan a comprehensive project plan that integrates ProComp in the

broader picture of instructional and systems reform in Denver

• The extraordinary hard work needed to pull this planning process off

• This is largely administrative work that we in the union dismiss as “their job.”

• Documentation, training and support The arduous task of building capacity and changing culture

The ProComp fiscal model

• Political campaign