LTE: A bonus for quitting

Regarding "HISD’s cash bonus for early resignation notice is up for vote" (Wednesday City & State), I would have thought HISD administrators would by now have exhausted the possible means of paying teachers for doing something other than their jobs.  Past articles have told of bonuses for performance against vague standards, bonuses for moving to another school, and bonuses for nothing more than hanging in there for the whole school year.  Teachers are paid stipends out of slush funds and qualify not only for pay raises, but cost of living increases as well.

 

Now they are paying teachers a bonus for: quitting.  How nice.  Was I to ask a question, though, it would be this: why would any teacher need to be incented to promptly tell their principle that they were leaving?  Either the teacher has plans to leave, or they do not.  It is incomprehensible that they should sit on this knowledge if they are responsible human beings. 

 

At least until now.

 

Pete Smith

Cypress

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A bonus for quitting
Regarding “HISD’s cash bonus for early resignation notice is up for vote” (Page B1, Wednesday), I would have thought the Houston Independent School District’s administrators would by now have exhausted the possible means of paying teachers for doing something other than their jobs. Past articles have told of bonuses for performance against vague standards, bonuses for moving to another school and bonuses for nothing more than hanging in there for the whole school year.

Now they are paying teachers a bonus for quitting. How nice. Why would any teacher need to be given an incentive to promptly tell his or her principal that they were leaving? Either the teacher plans to leave, or he does not. It is incomprehensible that he should sit on this knowledge if he is a responsible human being.

Pete Smith, Cypress

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/letters/article/Letters-A-pity-to-lose-Camp-Strake-4200217.php