Each year the governing board of each school district in Arizona must establish a system for evaluating the performance of certified teachers and have it approved by the state to make sure that the district meets Arizona requirements.

“The objectives of the teacher performance evaluation system are to improve instruction and maintain instruction strengths,” according to the policy. This is done through periodic teacher evaluations.

“This is a critical item for budget purposes,” Snowflake Unified School District Business Manager Mark Ollerton advised the governing board Dec. 2.

“The funding mechanism is something that has been part of the funding formula for several years,” said Ollerton, noting that it must first be approved by the governing board, then by the State Board of Education, which would make the district eligible for approximately $130,000.

“Most of what you see here is also district policy,” said Superintendent Hollis Merrell. He pointed out that one area that hasn’t been brought to the board for discussion is that the policy asks the district to consider incentives for teachers and principals that are in the highest classifications.

Merrell said that the item should go to the administrative team and to the board in a work session. “I feel like we probably ought to go ahead and meet with the administration and board, and bring it back for a second reading, so to speak,” he said.

A motion to approve the statement of assurance pending the policy regarding incentives for teachers and principals that are in the highest classifications being brought to the board. The motion passed with governing member Charles Foote opposing it because he preferred to table the item until it was brought to the governing board. This item will be discussed at the Jan. 14 board meeting.

In other business, Merrell reported that for the past four years they have used Indian Gaming money to pay bonuses to teachers for instruction improvement, which is one of the approved uses for that fund.

“Our teachers have been working hard on instructional improvement for several years with positive results,” said Merrell, noting that they are currently working to adapt to the new standards and test.

The superintendent explained that two years ago they found a way to do this for all other employees by using Forest Fees money. This year they have money that Governor Jan Brewer approved to go to teachers called the Student Success Funding.

Merrell recommended that they give teachers $400 as in the past using the Student Success funding and Indian Gaming, and all employees listed on the salary schedule will receive 50 cents per hour for the hours they have worked thus far on their contracts. He noted that the amounts would range from very little for employees who were recently hired to roughly $500 for most of the 12-month employees.

A motion to approve the use of Student Success and Indian Gaming funds to compensate teachers for instructional improvement, and to approve the Forest Fees salary schedule passed unanimously.

“We like to give this to every one of our employees right before Christmas break,” stated Merrell.