Strategic Compensation is a systemic reform that, when approached thoughtfully, has proven to be a catalyst for pursuing a school district's strategic goals to the benefi t of students and educators. For the past two years, AISD has been examining the issue of compensation reform, which was included in the District's Board-adopted Strategic Plan for 2005-2010. We assembled a districtwide Task Force that includes teachers and principals, examined models from across the country, and learned from a number of compensation experts. With this foundational work in hand, we accelerated our own Strategic Compensation Initiative this school year and are moving closer to developing a pilot plan for Austin's teachers and principals in the 2007-2008 school year.

Compensation reform can be a politically-charged issue, particularly when staff doesn't feel buy-in to the process or to new measures that are put in place. Our approach in Austin will be unique - one that we believe will come to represent a national model for approaching compensation reform done the right way. Our commitment is to a systemic approach in which we recognize that compensation is an integral component of improving student learning. This initiative can only succeed if it is created by Austin educators, for Austin educators - and is one in which our focus is the three R's of quality teaching,

Raising Student Achievement through Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition.

The Collaborative Process is Essential to the Initiative's Success and Effectiveness

The Austin School District's Strategic Compensation Initiative is not a plan we can create at central office and then implement across the district. We understand the collaborative process is essential to the initiative's success and effectiveness. That is why we are going to be working closely with teachers, principals, and other internal and community stakeholders, engaging them in discussion and decision-making.

At this time, our Steering Committee and task forces include administrators, teachers, parents, and representatives from Education Austin and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. We are being assisted in this endeavor by the Community Training and Assistance Center, and Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates, nationally-recognized firms with experience in compensation reform.

We know that our first thinking will need refinement. For that reason, we will adopt a phased-in approach to allow us to gauge the impact of different options through pilot projects, which will then be evaluated and adjusted as determined.

We Must Ensure Financial Sustainability

The financial requirements of supporting a Strategic Compensation Initiative must be anticipated and planned for on the "front end." We understand that teachers, principals, and taxpayers need to know that the initiative can and will be sustained.

Therefore, rather than waiting to find funding once we have a fully-developed plan, we have taken the important step of allocating one cent of our Maintenance & Operations tax rate - approximately $4.3 million annually - to fund this initiative. We are also in the process of submitting proposals for federal and state funding to secure additional support. The bottom line is this - that we must ensure the financial sustainability of the plan, and we believe we have taken the first steps to make that happen.

What's Next?

With guidance and approval from our Trustees, our timeline will proceed in three phases:

• Phase I, January-June 2007 - Planning and design including research into compensation-related best practices nationwide.
• Phase II, July 2007-June 2008 - Piloting and assessment.
• Phase III, July 2008-June 2009 - Implementation and assessment.

How Can I Learn More? Get Involved?

We want you to be fully informed about the Strategic Compensation Initiative as it moves forward in the next few months. The School District website, www.austinisd.org/compensation will post all information as it becomes available. Also in the weeks and months ahead, you will be asked to participate in one or more staff surveys that will be available on the website, or in personal interviews. When asked, please take the time to submit your valuable input. You can also contact David Lussier, Special Assistant to the Superintendent, at 414-9834.

Who Is Leading This Initiative?

Strategic Compensation Steering Committee

Chairs

• Rick Burciaga - Former Regional President of the Wells Fargo Bank; former Chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
• Ramon DeJesus - Member of the District Advisory Council; former Co-Chair of the AISD Budget Task Force.
• Michael Houser - AISD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Development & Information Systems.
• Louis Malfaro - President, Education Austin.
• Jeffrey Richard - President and CEO of the Austin Area Urban League; former Vice President of Education for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Members

• Sheila Anderson - Principal, Small Middle School.
• Kirk White - Teacher, Bailey Middle School.
• Robin Turner - Teacher, Sims Elementary School.
• Dr. Ed Fuller - Department of Educational Administration, University of Texas.
• Julie Lyons - AISD Director of State and Federal Accountability.
• David Lussier - Special Assistant to the Superintendent, AISD.

A listing of the larger Strategic Compensation Initiative Task Force is posted here.