D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had the good sense to turn down an “earned bonus” of up to 10 percent of her $275,000 base salary, the Washington Post’s D.C. Wire blog reports, thus avoiding the kind of PR nightmare afflicting various erstwhile Masters of the Universe on Wall Street. But the Post’s blog item lets slide a curious thing. According to the terms of her contract Rhee’s bonus is based on…
…effectiveness in ‘Student Academic Achievement and Improvement; Financial Systems and Management; School Facilities Maintenance, Improvement and New Construction; Student and Staff Safety and Security; Staff Improvement; Communications with Community and Families; and Technology.’”
Given the single-minded focus on student achievement associated with her tenure, and her oft-stated desire to tie teacher pay to test scores, why is Rhee’s bonus triggered by so many different factors other than academic achievement and improvement?
Does it explain how “technology” is measured? Or communications with communities and families? Is that why she spends so much time e-mailing on her BlackBerry?
Given the single-minded focus on student achievement associated with her tenure, and her oft-stated desire to tie teacher pay to test scores, why is Rhee accountable for areas of responsibility other than academic achievement and improvement?