Rep. Bolduc’s bill to outlaw performance-based pay for teachers goes down in flames

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Rep. Brian Bolduc’s bill to outlaw performance-based for teachers failed to receive even a single vote of support from the Education Committee this afternoon.  On a motion from House Chair Sutherland, the committee voted unanimously to support an “Ought Not To Pass” recommendation on the bill, virtually guaranteeing that the bill will die in committee, effectively ending its legislative journey.

The bill was so preposterous that the committee gave it no deliberation whatsoever.  Rep. Sutherland noted for the record that opposition to the bill was near universal, then moved to have the bill killed.

The committee’s actions are but a first step toward the development of performance-based pay for teachers and administrators in Maine.  Rep. Weston is sponsoring a separate bill on performance-based pay that authorizes the use of such pay systems and requires the Department to adopt rules for their development.  The bill will likely be reworked in light of passage of the federal stimulus bill, which provides $200 million for the development of such pay systems.

An important first step taken today however, as the Education Committee made it very clear that they are open to looking at performance-based pay models for teachers and administrators in Maine schools.