Teachers as Free Agents

I've been on this kick this week about how we (the U.S. educational system) fail to properly capitalize on the best teachers that we have, fail to bring together the right combination of direction and resources to allow them to succeed, and how school systems in general fail to see how an economic solution to the question of teacher excellence would be the best approach. The other day I wrote about what a difference it would make if teachers were marketed in the same way that textbooks and technology for schools are.

My fevered little brain has been working on that idea off and on for a few days, and the real solution seems to be not in marketing teachers and their abilities, but in treating them like we do sports stars--as free agents. Imagine if a school were given a set budget for staffing their teacher cadre--a salary cap if you will--and then it was up to the principal to recruit the best teachers they could within the constraints of their budget. You might end up with something like this:

February 12th, 2005: Jefferson Middle School announced today the free agent signing of Mr. John Butler to assume the duties of science teacher on Team B. Mr. Butler had previously taught at Jackson Middle School for six years.

Principal Gloria Jones had this to say about Mr. Butler. "Mr. Butler is an outstanding educator, and we are delighted that we have been able to acquire his rights for the next three years. He is Nationally Board Certified in Science and his students have consistently scored far above the national average on standardized tests. He has also been active in working with the Parent Advisory Committee at his former school, is certified as a master trainer in four different staff development areas, and comes with the highest recommendations from parents, students, and co-workers. While we realize that we're making a big investment in Mr. Butler, we believe that his abilities are well worth the premium that we'll be paying."

Mr. Butler's salary was not officially disclosed, but it is believed that he will be paid $120,000 per year, making him the highest paid science teacher at the middle school level. If the amount of the salary proves to be correct Mr. Butler's salary will have a large impact on the staff budget at the school.

"We realize that the whole concept of free agent salaries can be a bit touchy", said school district negotiation specialist Mary Trumble, "but we're learning that bringing in high quality teachers like Mr. Butler has a profound impact not only of the students, but also on fellow staff. When we get a teacher of this quality working in a school and training our other teachers the results are dramatic. And yes, sometimes there is a bit of grumbling from other staff who aren't paid at the same level as some of our free agents are, but we believe they're a good example of how a teacher can improve their own salary by working hard and improving their skills. This has really worked out well for our kids as we find teachers working harder than ever to improve their teaching skills so they too can cash in on the higher salaries that free agents get. It's simple economics. Teachers who can prove their worth get paid more money."

A teacher's union spokesperson was not available for comment.