by Georgia Charter Schools Association
By Duke Bradley,
As Executive Director of Atlanta’s Wesley International Academy, I am often asked about our school’s approach to teacher pay. Although a casual redirection to our salary scale would probably answer the question that most people want to know, “How much will I make?” Spreadsheets full of numbers don’t necessarily communicate what we value about teachers or the contributions they make to the lives of children.
This past school year, the Wesley International Academy Governing Board of Directors unanimously approved a new teacher compensation model. Admittedly, it is imperfect. But what it has done is inch us toward an approach to teacher pay that is more thoughtfully prepared than the unimaginative salary scales we’ve all become accustomed to. Having initially worried about the long-term sustainability and reasonableness of our new model, we eventually toppled those fears, and were able to accomplish something that many schools and school districts have been unable to do in recent years. We increased teacher pay – and did so by nearly 12%.
So, How Does it Work?
Our model pays teachers a baseline salary that corresponds with the local school district’s scale. In Atlanta, that positions them to be among the highest earners in the country. Within the model, there are essentially three categorical points of entry: Novice (0 to 3 years of experience); Emerging (3 to 5 years of experience); and Master (6 or more years of experience).
As a teacher prepares to transition into another professional category, she receives a cumulative review whereby performance is examined in a way that extends beyond considerations of student achievement. This review does more by taking a holistic approach to compensation. It examines things like contributions to the “intellectual community” and considers whether “continual professional betterment” has been pursued. It also measures whether or how the school has been enhanced through the teacher’s “service and commitment”. While the model predictably maintains additional complexities and design nuance, we believe that these tenets offer a new way of looking at teacher pay – and by extension, renewal.
What We Believe
At Wesley International Academy, we believe that there is no way to accurately quantify a teacher’s worth. After all, teachers literally perform tasks that are as complex as the work of neurosurgeons – and at a fraction of what they earn. Yes, teaching 20 children to read is no less difficult than performing a lobotomy or a spinal cord fusion. Although teachers may never earn as much as neurosurgeons, just maybe how we think about paying them will help elevate the esteem of the profession. After all, teachers and neurosurgeons share a very similar purpose.
They are both in the business of saving lives.
Dr. Duke Bradley, III is the Executive Director of Wesley International Academy. The K-8 International Baccalaureate charter school is in its 8th year of operation and serves roughly 780 students.
The views and opinions expressed on CharterConfidential are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency.
Georgia Charter Schools Association
The Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) is the membership organization for Georgia’s charter school operators and petitioners, established in 2001. Our mission is to be an effective advocate and service provider for all charter public schools in Georgia.
