Raising test scores can bring a bonus

Financial bonuses worth up to $3,000 are being dangled in front of workers in four Charleston County schools this year as incentive for them to improve student achievement.

Test scores in those four at-risk schools are dismal compared to the district average, and the nonprofit offering the monetary rewards, Charleston Promise Neighborhood, hopes to spark the kind of change that would make those same schools models for the rest of the county.

"The notion of pay for performance is very scary to some teachers because this is not something we're used to doing, and this is new across the country," said LaTisha Vaughn-Brandon, a former county principal who splits her work time between the district and nonprofit. "It's tying students' performance to teachers. Why wouldn't we tie the two together?"

The bonuses are one of three key programs that Charleston Promise Neighborhood is implementing this year. The nonprofit's long-term goals are to improve education and break the cycle of poverty in a four-school area of Charleston and North Charleston.

The elementary schools involved are Chicora, James Simons, Mary Ford and Sanders-Clyde, and the nonprofit eventually plans to provide comprehensive services to children from birth to 18 who live in those attendance zones.

It's a relatively new group that organized in 2010, and it lost two of its key day-to-day leaders in the summer. Dwayne Green, an attorney and community activist, resigned as chief executive, and Laura Deaton, the nonprofit's managing director, moved out of state.

Bill Hewitt, chairman of the nonprofit's board, said there's no question those vacancies have hurt the organization and caused it to lose momentum, but he's excited about two new staff members who have been hired in their stead.

Sherrie Snipes-Williams, a Lowcountry native who has been living in Atlanta, has been brought on as CEO. Snipes-Williams has experience launching and leading nonprofits, and she scored the highest among those who interviewed her.

She'll be responsible for helping shape the nonprofit's vision of where it wants to be in five years and what it will take to get there.

"You can go through the quantitative assessment, but at the end of the day, it's that gut feeling of 'Is this the right person to lead the organization?' " Hewitt said. "She was right for the organization."

Vaughn-Brandon began directing the nonprofit's education initiatives in November, and she'll be the point person for coordinating those in district schools.

One of those programs is the bonuses. Teachers will be judged on a combination of factors, such as classroom evaluations, self-evaluations, individual student growth and the school's overall growth.

Every other staff member is eligible for extra pay, but the amount and criteria vary by position. District leaders are looking at the program as a potential model for the rest of the county, Vaughn-Brandon said.

The other two focus areas for this year are establishing school-based medical clinics and creating college-bound cultures. The clinics have been up and running since October, and an MUSC doctor spends two hours each week at each school addressing students' medical problems. Each school also has launched plans to change students' perspective on college.

"The whole notion is to raise expectations," Hewitt said.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546.