Ogden board staff outline state merit-pay pilot; district weighing opt‑in and committee design

Ogden School District HR director Jessica Benitek told the board during a work session that the district is studying a state pilot for “market‑informed compensation” for teachers established by Senate Bill 173 and commonly called merit pay. Benitek said the district announced participation in initial planning by the December 31 deadline and would have to submit a board‑approved plan by April 1 to remain in the pilot.

Benitek said the program creates three performance tiers for awards and uses state testing and other objective measures in a weighted formula. "There are going to be three performance levels of the merit award," she said, describing the top tier as the state’s top 5% of teachers and noting award sizes and timing. Under the pilot Benitek described, a “master” teacher in the top 5% would receive $10,000 per year for three years (a total of $30,000); exemplary teachers in the next tier would receive $5,000 per year for three years; and recognized teachers in the third tier would receive $2,000 per year for three years. Benitek said awards would double for teachers working in defined high‑poverty schools.

Why it matters: the pilot aims to boost recruitment, retention and compensation but requires districts to…