Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
Idaho supports differential pay by which a teacher can earn additional compensation by teaching certain subjects. Districts have the ability to pay bonuses to teachers serving in hard-to-fill positions and can designate up to 33 percent of certified positions as hard to fill.
Teachers who are already National Board Certified are eligible to receive a $10,000 bonus paid by the state. However, this type of differential pay is not tied to high-needs schools or subject-area shortages. However, Senate Bill 1184 (2011) ends this incentive program for teachers who have not yet received their certification.
Support differential pay for teachers in high-needs schools.
Idaho should encourage districts to link
compensation to district needs. Such policies can help districts
achieve a more equitable distribution of teachers. Rather than
eliminate the bonus for National Board certification, the state
should consider tying the incentive 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 lowest-performing
schools.
Idaho recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.