CMS expanding ‘opportunity culture,’ a response to low teacher pay

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is set to hire a few dozen more teachers with increased leadership responsibilities – and the chance to earn significantly more money.

Called “opportunity culture,” the special teaching positions are one of the district’s responses to persistently low teacher pay. In some schools, these teachers can earn as much as $23,000 more each year.

The program started in Charlotte as part of Project LIFT, the $55 million program to aid struggling west Charlotte schools. LIFT will soon post job openings for 20 more “opportunity culture” teachers this year, bringing their total to 55.

This year, 17 other CMS schools brought on teachers through an “opportunity culture” program. That’s set to expand to a half-dozen more schools next school year.

This week, Project LIFT brought together several teachers in the program and a principal who relies heavily on them to explain what exactly “opportunity culture” means. Here’s a quick primer.

Q: What’s the difference in job duties between a regular teacher and an “opportunity culture” teacher?

A: Essentially, a teacher in the opportunity culture program will be responsible for leading a team of other teachers that can range in size from two to eight. They’ll stay in the classroom, but also critique and collaborate with less experienced educators. Bobby Miles, a multi-classroom leader at Ranson IB Middle School, explains:

Q: How does this change a teacher’s career path?

A: It’s intended to give teachers options to advance and make more money beyond becoming an administrator. Kristin Cubbage, a multi-classroom leader at Ashley Park K-8 School, explains:

Q: How does this help schools?

A: CMS consistently deals with high teacher turnover, and this is seen as a way to combat that (although it’s too early to gauge results). At Project LIFT schools, the problem is more pronounced. Ranson IB Middle principal Alison Harris explains:

This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "CMS expanding ‘opportunity culture,’ a response to low teacher pay."