First Draft of New York Teachers Petition Refusing Merit Pay

First Draft of Teachers Petition Refusing Merit Pay

As public school teachers in the State of New York we categorically reject Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to give merit pay for teachers rated “Highly Effective” on the State’s flawed teacher evaluation system. We oppose this not only because merit pay creates a competitive atmosphere in schools where there should be collaboration, but because it will increase the emphasis on testing in schools already filled with stress, discriminate against teachers who work with ELL students, Special Needs Students and Students who live in poverty, and lead to an exodus of experienced teachers from high poverty districts. As professionals dedicated to serving all our students, and to reducing the stranglehold of standardized testing on the schools of New York state, we will not only protest against the imposition of merit pay, but refuse any merit increment we are offered based on the junk science teacher evaluations used by the state. 
This is our commitment, and our promise
Signed
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