The report by Dave Umhoefer and Sarah Hauer was the result of a study of the five-year impact of Act 10 during a nine-month O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism through the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University.
Among the report’s findings:
Teachers are moving from district to district, creating a year-round cycle of vacancies and turnover as fewer people enter the profession.
An “arms race” for teachers is rewarding the most sought-after educators with five-figure signing bonuses and giving better-paying districts an edge in luring away top talent. Taxpayers win because of a state cap on school spending but that cap has undermined some districts’ ability to fend off the poaching of their teachers.
Underachievers are being rooted out and districts are slowly but steadily linking pay to performance and prizing skill over seniority.
By eliminating the most important elements of collective bargaining, Act 10 gutted unions, which have lost strength and membership and left many veteran teachers demoralized over past influence and compensation.
Not all its effects are bad, and the impact of Act 10 on educational quality statewide may be negligible so far.