In second try, Baltimore teachers approve landmark contract

From The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore City teachers have approved a landmark contract that will provide the opportunity to earn considerable pay increases while tying their evaluations to student performance. The agreement puts the district at the forefront of a national reform movement. Union members ratified the revised agreement by a 1,902-1,045 vote, just weeks after the original proposal was defeated by a wide margin. The earlier rejection spurred an aggressive campaign by the union to inform members about the details of the contract.

From The Baltimore Sun: Teachers in Baltimore city schools who are effective and ambitious would be able to move quickly through the ranks and earn up to $100,000 a year, under the teachers union new contract with the district. The contract, that some are saying is the most progressive in the nation, would create between link teachers' pay and their students' performance. The structure does away with the old model of "step" increases, or paying teachers based solely on their years of experience and the degrees they have obtained.

Earlier...from The Baltimore Sun: The Baltimore city school district and its teachers union have struck a landmark agreement that would end the longtime practice of linking pay to years of employment. The two sides have discussed a pay system that would reward skills and effectiveness. Only a handful of places in the country, including Washington, D.C., New Haven, Conn., and Pittsburgh, have moved toward paying teachers for performance as a way to improve the quality of education in their schools.