Pennsylvania s new $1.25 billion proposed education budget includes a plan but not the wherewithal to radically change teacher pay. In collapsing the current 16-step pay ladder into six steps, the new rules would rate teachers as basic, proficient, and advanced, the same set of adjectives used to describe Pennsylvania s students. The plan, according to State Education Secretary Vicki Phillips, would seek to measure competency and student achievement, but she noted that there was currently no mechanism in place to measure those things. Phillips is optimistic that teachers will support the plan, but there s no word yet from the teachers.

In other news from Pennsylvania, Gov. Rendell called the concept of tenure for principals outdated and is seeking to replace it with 3- to 6-year contracts for school leaders.