Teacher Compensation Policy
Shortage-Subject Areas: Minnesota teachers in districts that participate in an alternative teacher professional pay system, Quality Compensation for Teachers (Q Comp), are eligible for stipends for teaching shortage subject areas; amount not specified.
High-Need Schools: Minnesota teachers in districts that participate in an alternative teacher professional pay system, Quality Compensation for Teachers (Q Comp), are eligible for stipends for teaching in high-need schools; amount not specified.
More than half of all students in Minnesota attend a Q Comp school.
Expand differential pay initiatives for all effective teachers in both shortage-subject areas and high-need schools.
Minnesota should encourage districts to link compensation to district needs. Such policies can help districts achieve a more equitable distribution of teachers.
Minnesota did not respond to NCTQ's request to review this analysis for accuracy.
8B: High-Need Schools and Subjects
States should help address chronic shortages and needs. States should ensure that state-level policies (such as a uniform salary schedule) do not interfere with districts' flexibility in compensating teachers in ways that best meet their individual needs and resources. However, when it comes to addressing chronic shortages, states should do more than simply get out of the way. They should provide direct support for differential pay for effective teaching in shortage subject areas and high-need schools.[1] Attracting effective and qualified teachers to high-need schools or filling vacancies in hard-to-staff subjects are problems that are frequently beyond a district's ability to solve. States that provide direct support for differential pay in these areas are taking an important step in promoting the equitable distribution of quality teachers.[2] Short of providing direct support, states can also use policy levers to indicate to districts that differential pay is not only permissible but necessary.