New York Times July 25, 2007

HEADLINE: Bloomberg Supports Teacher Merit Pay

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a potential independent presidential candidate, is pushing for performance-based merit pay for teachers in the nation's public schools.

Bloomberg, in prepared remarks for a speech to a National Urban League conference in St. Louis, said, ''We should be offering teachers and principals incentives not only to take the toughest assignments, and to fill special needs, but also to get the best possible results from their students.''

Bloomberg's trip has added to speculation that he may run for president, even though he denies any interest in doing so. Four Democratic and two Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to address the conference Friday.

He recently left the Republican party to become an independent, built a detailed personal Web site and has increased his out-of-state travel.

How much appeal an independent bid might have is unclear. A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows that while Bloomberg's approval rating remains high among New York City voters, a majority wouldn't vote for him if he ran for president.

In his remarks, Bloomberg praised Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for supporting for the concept of merit pay. Obama recently told the National Education Association, country's largest teachers union, that the idea should be considered.

''I was happy to hear that Senator Obama recently became the first Democratic presidential candidate to offer at least modest support for the idea of bonus pay for teachers,'' Bloomberg said.

Linking merit pay to student test scores is an idea that is spreading in popularity in local school districts, as well as among lawmakers who are rewriting the No Child Left Behind law, which is up for review this year.

However, NEA members, a key Democratic constituency, have expressed concerns about merit pay, saying they worry that linking their pay to their students' test scores would be unfair to those instructing kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teachers also say it is not fair to offer merit pay only to people who teach courses that are tested, such as reading and math, but not to those who teach music or art.

Supporters, like Bloomberg, say bonuses for teachers who improve student achievement would reward effective work and attract strong people to the job. Teachers are typically paid on a system that rewards seniority, with an average starting salary of around $31,000.