When I was graduated from high school in 1977, the Shoreline School District -- which is located immediately north of the Seattle city line -- was the only district west of the Mississippi River to have a merit pay plan for teachers in place. This fact was not well known in our community.
Since merit pay factored in one of the less sexy questions during last night's political event, I was reminded of my experiences, and thought to spend a few moments sharing.
That year I was editor of our school newspaper, and like many young journalists in that heady time, I wished to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. (And, like most, fell considerably short of that aim.) So when a teacher breathed word of this peculiar institution to me, I went about my investigative journalist's job -- with a newly minted tape recorder from Radio Shack -- to get to the bottom of what merit pay was, who was receiving it, and what it meant.
Below the fold is what I found, preceded by several disclaimers.
