Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
Delaware neither supports differential pay by which a teacher can earn additional compensation by teaching certain subjects nor offers incentives to teach in high-needs schools. However, the state has no regulatory language that would directly block districts from providing differential pay.
Teachers who are National Board Certified are eligible to receive an annual 12-percent increase in base pay for a period of ten years. However, this type of differential pay is not tied to high-needs schools or subject-area shortages.
Support differential pay initiatives for effective teachers in both subject shortage areas and high-needs schools.
Delaware should encourage districts to link compensation to district needs. Such policies can help districts achieve a more equitable distribution of teachers.
Consider tying National Board supplements to teaching in high-needs schools.
This differential pay could be an incentive to attract some of the state's most effective teachers to its low-performing schools.
Delaware noted that through Race to the Top, both the state and local educational agencies are addressing this policy area via several different approaches: the state's Retention Bonus program to be initiated in the 2011-2012 school year, district creation of talent recruitment and/or talent retention bonuses, and the state's Teacher-Leader initiative, whereby each district with high-needs schools is required to hire/promote a teacher into a teacher-leadership role (and provide additional compensation for these teachers).