Business Owners Testify On Performance Pay
House lawmakers took a closer look Tuesday at how developing a performance pay plan for Oklahoma teachers will benefit students as they go on to college and the workforce.
Testimony from business owners and chamber representatives painted a broad picture of how beneficial performance pay can be during what was the fourth of five hearings on the issue held by the House Education Committee.
Matt Robison, Vice President of Small Business and Workforce Development at The State Chamber of Oklahoma, testified before the committee Tuesday. “Oklahoma’s economic growth depends on several factors,” he said, “none of which are more important than the ability to develop an education system that produces a properly educated workforce.”
Robison stressed efficient spending of state education dollars rather than just throwing money at education woes. “We should not simply enhance spending into a system that is not as effective as we need or deserve,” he said. “In order to compete in a global economy, we must all insist on higher standards, more accountability and progressive change.”
Rep. Tad Jones, who chairs the Education Committee, said another important point made by Robison was that local input on how a performance pay plan is implemented will be important to the plan’s success.
“Only the people in a local community can fully understand all the unique factors that their community, their teachers and their students face,” said Jones, R-Claremore. “We need to make sure there is a level of local control over how a performance pay system is set up.”
Phyllis Hudecki of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition also testified before the committee Tuesday. She said that something definitely needs to be done to fix education in Oklahoma, and performance pay, if implemented properly, is an option.
“The only error you could make is to do nothing,” she said.
House Speaker Lance Cargill later echoed Hudecki’s sentiments, saying, “You really can’t sum up the situation any better than that.
“If we want to build a stronger Oklahoma economy and compete in the jobs and industries of the 21st Century, we have no choice but to develop a better education system,” added Cargill, R-Harrah. “We must keep and attract the best teachers and also entice our best students to become teachers.
“If Oklahoma teachers have the chance to earn extra by going the extra mile, they’re more likely to stay here instead of going to teach in Texas. Incentives work in business and industry, and they can work in education. They already work in our colleges and universities and in CareerTech.
“Also, when bright students are considering a career, they consider which professions pay the best. When they see that if they become a teacher, they can earn higher pay so long as they do a good job, they’re more likely to become teachers. That bodes well for the students they’ll teach.”
Reed Downey, owner of Reed Downey Insurance in Oklahoma City also testified before lawmakers on Tuesday. He talked about how, despite the billions of dollars Oklahoma has spent in recent decades on student test scores, those scores have risen little, if at all.
He added that not only are Oklahoma students lagging behind other states, but the U.S. as a nation is lagging behind many other nations around the world in the quality of education it provides. He indicated that performance pay is an important step toward improving education, but is not the final answer.
Testimony from business owners and chamber representatives painted a broad picture of how beneficial performance pay can be during what was the fourth of five hearings on the issue held by the House Education Committee.
Matt Robison, Vice President of Small Business and Workforce Development at The State Chamber of Oklahoma, testified before the committee Tuesday. “Oklahoma’s economic growth depends on several factors,” he said, “none of which are more important than the ability to develop an education system that produces a properly educated workforce.”
Robison stressed efficient spending of state education dollars rather than just throwing money at education woes. “We should not simply enhance spending into a system that is not as effective as we need or deserve,” he said. “In order to compete in a global economy, we must all insist on higher standards, more accountability and progressive change.”
Rep. Tad Jones, who chairs the Education Committee, said another important point made by Robison was that local input on how a performance pay plan is implemented will be important to the plan’s success.
“Only the people in a local community can fully understand all the unique factors that their community, their teachers and their students face,” said Jones, R-Claremore. “We need to make sure there is a level of local control over how a performance pay system is set up.”
Phyllis Hudecki of the Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition also testified before the committee Tuesday. She said that something definitely needs to be done to fix education in Oklahoma, and performance pay, if implemented properly, is an option.
“The only error you could make is to do nothing,” she said.
House Speaker Lance Cargill later echoed Hudecki’s sentiments, saying, “You really can’t sum up the situation any better than that.
“If we want to build a stronger Oklahoma economy and compete in the jobs and industries of the 21st Century, we have no choice but to develop a better education system,” added Cargill, R-Harrah. “We must keep and attract the best teachers and also entice our best students to become teachers.
“If Oklahoma teachers have the chance to earn extra by going the extra mile, they’re more likely to stay here instead of going to teach in Texas. Incentives work in business and industry, and they can work in education. They already work in our colleges and universities and in CareerTech.
“Also, when bright students are considering a career, they consider which professions pay the best. When they see that if they become a teacher, they can earn higher pay so long as they do a good job, they’re more likely to become teachers. That bodes well for the students they’ll teach.”
Reed Downey, owner of Reed Downey Insurance in Oklahoma City also testified before lawmakers on Tuesday. He talked about how, despite the billions of dollars Oklahoma has spent in recent decades on student test scores, those scores have risen little, if at all.
He added that not only are Oklahoma students lagging behind other states, but the U.S. as a nation is lagging behind many other nations around the world in the quality of education it provides. He indicated that performance pay is an important step toward improving education, but is not the final answer.
Labels: Lance Cargill, Matt Robison, Phyllis Hudecki, Reed Downey, Tad Jones, Teacher Performance Pay
posted by Mike McCarville @ 4:40 PM
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