ACT announces $1 billion more for best teachers

ACT announced:

“Good teachers help children grow, develop, and reach their full potential which is vital to their future success,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Unfortunately, because of union contracts, teachers hit maximum pay after ten years, schools can’t reward successful teachers, and teaching is not regarded as a strong career choice for our brightest graduates.

“Right now the best teachers earn the same as the worst teachers. Graduates are deserting Auckland schools or deserting teaching altogether. Teachers can only earn more by taking on administrative work, and spending less time actually teaching kids.

“ACT says this is crazy. We want the best teachers to stay in the profession and in the classroom.

It is crazy. A principal should be able to pay more money to great teachers and less money to not so good teachers. Just as in almost all other workplaces, those who are great at their jobs get paid more than those who are not.

“With the current government surplus at $3.7 billion, ACT will give principals $975 million to pay good teachers more, without cutting government services or raising taxes. But the schools will only be eligible for this funding if they abandon nationally-negotiated union contracts. This will make it easier for principals to replace bad teachers with great ones.

“ACT’s Good Teacher Grants will boost teachers’ pay by $20,000 on average, and elevate teaching as a profession, to attract the best graduates to teach our children and keep the most capable teachers in the classroom.”

A lot more people would go into teaching if they could earn more, rather than hix their maximum cap after 10 years.

Currently schools get between $50,000 and $73,000 a teacher based on how many years they have been working. ACT would give every school a whopping $93,000 per teacher to allocate as they see best. So even not very good teachers might still get say $65,000 while a great teacher might get $125,000.