September 14, 2007 - The Austin School District is moving forward with its Strategic Compensation Initiative - a project that will change how Austin classroom teachers and principals are compensated for their work. Nine schools have been selected to pilot the initiative for the 2007-2008 school year.

The pilot schools - Barton Hills, Hart, Menchaca, Rodriguez, Sims, and Sunset Valley Elementary schools; Dobie and O. Henry Middle Schools; and Lanier High School - were selected because their campus characteristics are representative of the district as a whole. Factors considered included student demographics, academic performance, location, and established campus leadership. Additionally, five of these campuses are considered "Highest-Needs" schools based on their populations of economically disadvantaged students, English Language Learners, and Special Needs students.  
 
Teachers and principals were invited to join the pilot project and accepted through a voting process. A two-thirds vote affirming participation was required. All participating schools substantially exceeded the two-thirds majority.  
 
"We are grateful to these campus staffs for joining us in advancing this initiative," Superintendent Pat Forgione said. "They are pioneers in our effort to launch compensation reform that will improve student learning."  
 
Dr. Forgione explained that the nine-school pilot will compensate staff beyond their base salary at the end of the school year, if specific performance measures are met. These include school-wide academic growth as measure on the state achievement tests and achieving teacher-developed, student learning objectives. Additionally, two new professional growth opportunities in the pilot will provide teachers with mentors and a chance to participate in a professional development activity related to National Board Certification. Finally, funds are also being targeted to recruitment and retention stipends at highest-needs schools.  
 
The goal of AISD's Strategic Compensation Initiative, Dr. Forgione said, is to improve teaching and learning. It has been guided by a task force and steering committee of teachers, principals, teacher union leaders, and community and business representatives.  
 
Their intent is to create - through a collaborative process - compensation reform that will improve student learning, and that focuses on the three R's essential to quality teaching - recruitment, retention, and recognition.  
 
Dr. Forgione said the collaborative nature of the initiative's leadership will help ensure its success.  
 
"For the past three years, the district has been examining the issue of compensation reform from numerous perspectives," Dr. Forgione said. "It has examined models from across the country, learned from compensation experts, and surveyed our own staff - the individuals responsible for successful teaching and learning. With this foundational work in hand, we accelerated our own initiative and are now ready to test our ideas through this pilot.  
 
"We expect this pilot to help us determine what works and what doesn't. We expect refinements to this initiative next year and in the following years as well."  
 
Steering committee co-chair Rick Burciaga said, "I have been impressed with the enthusiasm with which teachers and principals have embraced the project. Our hope is that we quickly refine what we know about what does and doesn't work in improving student achievement, so that we use our finite dollars wisely. This will be critical to earning the trust of the taxpayer who will be called on to fund the initiative in future years."  
 
Education Austin President and steering committee co-chair Louis Malfaro pointed to the potential for teachers to earn more money and improve their effectiveness. "The promise of Strategic Compensation lies not only in recognizing and rewarding teachers for improved student achievement, but in supporting teachers at the classroom level by investing in their training and development. Teacher quality is the single greatest factor in predicting student success. This program has the potential to help our district cultivate and retain high-quality teachers over the long haul."  
 
The Strategic Compensation Initiative will be phased in over the next five years, and is scheduled for full implementation in all Austin schools in 2012. The pilot is being funded through one cent of the District's Maintenance and Operations tax rate annually, thus ensuring financial sustainability, Dr. Forgione said.