The Washington Post reports that teachers in DC public schools have higher salaries than teachers in DC charter schools.
Charter schools can set their own compensation levels. Some have opted for reduced class size, or other amenities.
The higher salaries result from the 2010 contract negotiated by then-Chancellor Michelle Rhee.
The Post notes:
“The school system’s high salaries came with former Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s effort to push out ineffective educators and bring in outstanding ones. But private donations that initially funded the pay raises and bonuses dried up in 2012, and city taxpayers have now shouldered the costs. School budgets have been squeezed and class sizes have grown.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thanks for this entry. It shows a lot of class. Rhee did a lot of bad, but least one good thing came of it!
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How does this post “show a lot of class”?
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See Posts below, Emily.
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Except it sets up the “greedy teachers are to blame for our budget problems” argument.
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The Bible says even demons can quote scripture. I think this aptly applies to Rhee.
Governor Zell Miller of Georgia gave teachers a 15% raise some years back. No one called it greedy. We called it finally getting fair pay close to the national average. You didn’t have to raise test scores or any of this other mess either. We got it because it was needed to raise pay to professional levels commensurate with what teachers in the higher paid states were getting. Zell was a teacher himself.
Interestingly the legislatures of the low paid states in the southeast screamed because they would have to raise their pay to compete.
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Higher teacher pay as well as higher teachers firing in DCPS!!! Don’t drink the Rheeform Kool-Aid!!! Rhee implemented failed experiments in DCPS with the help of the former Washington Teachers Union President, George Parker!!! Currently, George Parker works for M. Rhee!!! This is a disgrace and I’m not impressed!
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It was a way of buying off teachers. They voted for a contract that gave them a big pay raise but eliminated any due process and job security. Almost no veteran teachers are left.
Sent from my iPhoney
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In a “Screw the newbie” kind of way, a bait and switch, or they really thought that getting more “accountability” wouldn’t lead to ageism.
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But in return for the higher pay we lost all basic job protections and what was left of tenure. Now an experienced teacher in DC has about 3 years. Good for teachers but bad for the students. Kind of of a Faustian bargain.
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