The Mira Costa administration should offer more incentives to teachers who commit to teach Advanced Placement classes, seeing as these teachers currently receive little to no compensation for the extra time and effort they must put into teaching their AP students and curriculums.
AP Biology teacher Jessica Bledsoe, holds that teaching an AP class comes with unique challenges that need to be planned and accounted for. While the district should equally value both college preparatory teachers and those who teach AP classes, AP teachers are encouraged to teach more material at a much more in-depth level in a shorter amount of time. Currently, the Costa administration and Manhattan Beach Unified School District offer very little incentive or bonuses to teachers who teach AP classes.
While some may argue that the district is already low in funds and cannot risk allocating more money to these teachers, the recently approved lease agreement with the City of Manhattan Beach, which will provide the Manhattan Beach Unified School District with $550,000 in annual revenue, may offer a solution to this problem. As of now, the district is going to place the funds into the general reserve for three years in order to ensure that the transfer of funds is conducted transparently. When the three years are over, the district should consider using the money as an incentive source for AP teachers at the high school.
A few years ago, MBUSD enacted a stipend policy for teachers who choose to hold study sessions outside of the normal school day as further preparation for the AP exam. While this has been somewhat beneficial in compensating teachers for their extra time, the $900 stipend is the same for each teacher regardless of the number of sessions each teacher actually holds, making this policy unevenly applied across the board. Changes need to be made to further accommodate the full amount of overtime hours that each teacher at Mira Costa dedicates.
The administration should apply a different monetary practice regarding AP study sessions, similar to that concerning letters of recommendation. If teachers receive a certain amount of money for each session they conduct, up to a certain number of sessions, teachers would be rewarded for their extra time fairly and equitably.
The administration should also make an effort to help prepare teachers for an AP course before they take over the time-consuming position. The school district currently funds teachers’ attendance to College Board-held AP seminars. Former AP Economics teacher Wayne Knutson found that these conferences prepared him for what to expect and helped him organize a long-term plan. However, as of now, the district gives priority to veteran teachers meaning teachers with the least experience may not have the chance to attend. This defeats the purpose of a preparatory seminar and the district should offer this opportunity evenly to all teachers.
The amount of time and effort that all AP teachers devote to their classes is invaluable to their students and the caliber of Mira Costa’s AP system and district as a whole. These teachers deserve additional recognition for their sacrifice. The amount of time they spend teaching and the services they provide are entirely worthy of monetary benefits.
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