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AP and Randall Jeppesen reportingTest scores and other benchmarks of student performance could soon determine just how much Utah teachers get paid.
A committee of state lawmakers is studying a national trend toward incentive-based pay to see if it could help Utah's education system by easing a teacher shortage and improving instruction.
Republican Rep. Brad Last, of St. George, says incentives would help teachers stay focused on student achievement.
Currently pay scales for Utah teachers are based on years of experience and educational background.
A Utah State Board of Education committee is conducting a similar study, as are individual school districts.
"A simple plan isn't going to work for everyone. It's going to be complicated," said Lana Hiskey, spokeswoman for the Nebo School District.
Hiskey says her district is discussing a system that looks at student achievement, teacher evaluations and more.
Up the road at the Provo School District, officials are waiting for a grant to come through so they can try out a pilot program to financial reward good teachers.
Some teachers wonder if an incentive system would be fair because student performance varies from year to year.
E-mail rjeppesen@ksl.com
(The Salt Lake Tribune and The Associated Press contributed to this support. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
