York Schools Opts Out of Performance Pay Initiative

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, June 14, 2011

York County will not pursue a performance pay incentive offered for schools deemed hard-to-staff by the state.

In April, York River Academy was included on a list of 57 schools invited to participate in Gov. Bob McDonnell’s new performance pay incentive, which provides $3 million in state funding to reward teachers who choose to work in schools that have trouble retaining staff. To receive the funding, the schools would have to earn exemplary ratings in the next school year.

At a School Board work session Monday, Chief Academic Officer Stephanie Guy said the window of opportunity to prepare an application was too narrow. To receive the competitive grant funding, York River Academy would have to implement a comprehensive teacher-evaluation system that matched performance standards and model evaluation systems approved by the state Board of Education. In addition, at least 40 percent of teacher evaluations must be based on student academic growth.

Completed applications are due on Wednesday, and award amounts will be announced during the summer. Superintendent Eric Williams said other superintendents in the region decided not to apply, also citing the time crunch.

YRA was the only school in the Historic Triangle that met the criteria to apply for initiative funding. The criteria were related to accreditation, average attendance, percentage of students in special education, percentage of limited-English proficient students, percentage of teachers with provisional licenses, percentage of special education teachers with provisional licenses, percentage of first-year teachers and the number of first-year teachers in a critical-shortage area.

YRA is a 9th-12th grade charter school that gives students a chance to earn professional technical certifications, such as Computer Repair Certification or Certified Internet Webmaster, before graduating. To enter the school, students must have an interest in a career in the computer technology industry, and have a history of absenteeism and performing below grade level.