GCS to Hold Public Forums About Strategic Compensation

The district is holding four forums throughout the month of November

Contact: Haley Miller (336) 370-3200
Created: 11/6/2009 2:42:43 PM

Guilford County Schools (GCS) is hosting four forums to discuss the idea of paying employees additional incentives based on performance and other strategic compensation issues. Two of the forums will be for teachers and GCS employees and two will be for community members.

The forums are part of the district’s efforts to inform the community about new research showing the relationship between teacher quality and compensation. During the forums, participants will talk about how to ensure GCS recruits and retains high-quality employees, and how to ensure employees are rewarded for improving student achievement.

Public forum for employees will be held at Smith High Nov. 16 at 5:00 p.m. and Southwest High Nov. 18 at 5p.m. Public forum for community will be held at Southwest High Nov. 23 at 11:30 a.m. and at Smith High Nov. 23 at 5 p.m.

In September, GCS hosted a forum for school board members, state representatives, school administrators and community members to discuss this issue. The forum, titled “Measuring What Matters: Paying for Teacher Quality,” was funded by the Center for Educator Compensation Reform through the U.S. Department of Education. GCS hopes the upcoming forums will allow the district to get more feedback about strategic compensation for all teachers and other school-based employees.

“As we continue to explore the idea of paying teachers incentives based on performance, we want as many voices in the room as possible,” said Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development for GCS. Nationwide, teachers are traditionally paid on a single salary schedule with standardized increases based on years of experience, advanced degrees and certification levels. School districts on average spend about 35 percent of their teacher compensation budgets on these standard increases. However, traditional schedules do not take into account student achievement, nor do they provide motivation or rewards for elevated levels of school or teacher effectiveness.

During the 2006-07 year, GCS launched Mission Possible, a comprehensive teacher incentive plan that combines multiple components to keep and attract highly effective teachers and administrators for the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement in schools with critical needs. Teachers in testing grades at these 30 schools are eligible for annual performance incentives.

So far, Mission Possible has helped recruit highly qualified teachers to these schools. In fact, 100 percent of math positions were staffed on the first day of school this year. Additionally, teacher and principal turnover has decreased and school climate has improved based on annual faculty and parent surveys. However, when it comes to student achievement, there are still some fluctuations in reducing the gap between Mission Possible and non-Mission Possible schools. In the district’s strategic plan, which launched in January, a strategy calls for evaluating and refining a pay structure that recognizes the need to differentiate compensation for hard-to-fill positions. This year, GCS is evaluating the impact of Mission Possible and other differentiated compensation structures and also examining the current compensation package for all hard-to-fill areas.

To leave feedback, a comment or a suggestion on this press release, click here.

To watch the lastest news break from GCSTV 2, click here.

More Headlines

Recap of American Education Week Southeast High and Southeast Middle Building Advisory Meeting Southeast Alumnus Named National College Swimmer of the Week Board of Education Meeting - Canceled Governor Bev Perdue Visits Grimsley High Advanced Learning Department Seeks Feedback through Survey Guilford County Schools Celebrates American Education Week Vandalia Students Fight Hunger with Wall of Cans Murphey Teachers Bring Storybook Characters to Life GCS Celebrates American Indian Heritage Month

Back to District News

About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.