Maryland's second-largest school system is rewarding teachers for good performance in the classroom.
Prince George's County is paying $1.1 million to 279 teachers and administrators from a dozen schools on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported.
These staffers volunteered for the merit pay pilot, but Superintendent William Hite Jr. said he'd like to see it expanded. The school system is working with the teachers union on that, he said.
The program offered bonuses of up to $10,000 for teachers, $11,500 for assistant principals and $12,000 for principals.
Half of the bonus money is tied to scores on state tests and the other half is granted for teaching in hard-to-staff subjects, a classroom skills evaluation and professional development participation.
It's too early to say whether the program has affected academic skills, Hite said.
