By Aishatu Yusuf
July 4, 2011

Baltimore (MD) Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined Baltimore City Public School (BPS) CEO Andres Alonso and Baltimore Teachers Union President Marietta English on June 20 to discuss the city’s groundbreaking Baltimore teacher’s contract with mayors attending the 79th Annual Conference of Mayors in Baltimore. The contract, created in collaboration by union leaders, district officials, state leaders and teachers, is considered one of the most reformative teachers contracts of its time.

The contract overhauls the way educators are promoted and compensated in the district. The ratification of the teachers contract is a testament to what can be achieved when the teachers union and city officials join together for a common goal. “The teachers want the best for our kids. The administrators want the best for our kids, and the students want to give their best. We are all working in partnership to create a school system that everyone can be proud of,” said Rawlings-Blake.

The contract was initially rejected by the members of the Baltimore Teachers Union; however, with the involvement of Rawlings-Blake and minor content changes, the contract was later passed on a vote of 1902 to 1045. Marietta English attributes the ratification of the contract to the numerous discussions held to help teaches further understand its terms. In response to the rejected contract, leaders of the teachers union and BPS held over 3,000 conversations with teachers, and visited all 199 schools in the district, “If understanding is what they [teachers] needed, we heard them loud and clear,” remarked English.

At the core of the contract negotiations was the idea that teacher salary increases should be directly linked to teacher performance. “Teachers are at the very heart of everything we as a school district do, and unlike any other agreement until now—here or elsewhere in the country—this contract truly values teachers and gives them the opportunities for professional and financial advancement that they deserve,” said Alonso. One of the most radical changes in the contract was the significant reduction of traditional “step” increases, which are automatic raises based on tenure or the number of degrees acquired. Instead, the contract calls for teachers to use a four-tier career ladder acquiring “achievement units” through superior evaluations and positive student outcomes. Those units are directly translated into salary increases. While “step” increases and credits have not been totally eliminated, the new contract places emphasis on the new career ladder. One “step” credit is only one achievement unit, while a superior evaluation is 12, giving teachers more incentive to achieve a positive performance evaluation.

Also written into the contact are ten professional development days, and a 4.5 percent salary increase over the next three years. The outcomes of this contract are yet to be realized, however, Baltimore must be on the right track. Where many cities are in need of qualified teachers, Baltimore is now experiencing a teacher surplus. Concluding the discussion English stated, “Ten years from now, Baltimore will be in history books as creating the teachers’ contract that changed America.”