News From...Congressman Vito Fossella
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 1998 | Contact: Craig Donner
(718) 987-8400
Beeper: (800) 815-2171 |
CONGRESSMAN FOSSELLA INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO REWARD THE NATION’S BEST TEACHERS WITH MERIT RAISES
Fossella’s First Bill Would Raise Academic Standards & Improve The System
Staten Island, NY — Determined to improve public education and raise academic standards, Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY) today introduced legislation to reward the nation’s best teachers with merit raises.
The bill, the Measures to Encourage Results in Teaching Act of 1998, provides federal incentives for states to establish merit pay programs for elementary and secondary school teachers who demonstrate superior classroom performances. States are not mandated to enter into the program.
The dollar amount of the raises and the number of teachers who receive them would be determined by each state, which would have great leeway in crafting a unique program that best suits its individual needs.
The legislation also calls for participating states to establish periodic competency testing for teachers to ensure that only the most knowledgeable and qualified are authorized to teach.
“Teachers will certainly benefit, but it is our children who will be the real winners,” Fossella said. “My legislation creates a golden opportunity for states to reward their finest teachers and provide an incentive for all educators to sharpen their skills and provide our children with the best possible education. If we are to attract America’s finest men and women to the teaching profession, then we must offer them a competitive salary with the possibility of annual raises and bonuses. I can’t imagine how anyone could oppose rewarding our best teachers with a merit raise. I think it’s safe to assume that every American appreciates being rewarded for a job well done. That, in a nutshell, is what I hope to achieve with this legislation.”
The bill, patterned on the recent education savings account proposal, would use incentive funds presently available through an already-existing teacher training program. As a strong supporter of public education, Fossella said his legislation is designed to improve a system that has become mired in bureaucracy and red tape.
“The benefit of the bill is that it will allow states the flexibility to reward our best teachers without a federal mandate or taking one penny from public education,” Fossella said.
The Measures to Encourage Results in Teaching Act of 1998 is Fossella’s first piece of legislation.
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