Another Blow to the NBPTS Certification

Down in South Carolina Mark Sanford is proposing that they stop paying the bonuses that they’ve been giving to National Certified teachers. He’s citing the same research I’ve talked about (here and here) showing that there isn’t a proven correlation between having the certification and improved student performance, but what’s really astounding is the numbers:

To date, 55,000 teachers nationwide have earned the credential. Supporters of the South Carolina bonus program, started in 1998, say it has increased teacher retention and sent the number of nationally certified educators in the state soaring, from 1,291 in 2001 to 5,077 in 2006. South Carolina last year ranked third nationally, behind North Carolina and Florida, in the number of teachers who have received the credential.

But as that number has risen, so have the costs. The state has so far spent $222 million on the bonuses, and expects to spend another $52 million in the upcoming year.

Holy crap, that’s more than $10,000 a teacher. Up here we’re told that the average cost of a teacher to a district is $65,000 a year; at that price, you could get 800 more teachers for what you’re paying on National Cert bonuses. Governor Sanford would like to instead use it for merit pay, which has an even poorer track record than National Certification, but I can’t say he’s wrong for taking a hard look at the issue.