NYC Charter School To Pay Teachers $125K

A New York City charter school plans to employ a radical new setup meant to test the value of teacher quality over extras in the educational experience, the New York Times reports. Though the Equity Project, set to open in 2009, will have large classes and fewer classroom resources, teachers will make $125,000—twice that of an average NYC public-school educator.

The school will also have to make do with one or two social workers—which has made some nervous. But the talent pool astronomical salaries will attract is paramount to founder Zeke Vanderhoek: “I would rather put a phenomenal, great teacher in a field with 30 kids than take the mediocre teacher and give them all the technology in the world,” he said. (More education stories.)