In coming months, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka will try to persuade more than 2,000 teachers to move from a traditional, seniority-based salary scale to performance pay.

That may seem like an unusual pitch for a union man.

But Mr. Tarka says he wants to get out in front of a growing trend, give Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers new rewards for hard work and seize an opportunity to focus attention on the need for more order in district classrooms.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the district $40 million to help fund a package of teacher-effectiveness initiatives--one of four grants it awarded for such projects nationwide.

A shift to performance pay is one component of the plan, called "Empowering Effective Teachers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools."

Jointly developed by district and union officials, the plan also would give extra pay to teachers who take on special assignments; stiffen requirements for tenure; and enhance professional development opportunities. Because of Mr. Tarka's insistence on a link between learning environment and teacher effectiveness, the plan includes steps to bring more discipline to classrooms.

"One of my objectives is to ensure every child, in every classroom, has an environment that enables maximum academic achievement," he said.

Representatives of the Gates Foundation and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will be in Pittsburgh tomorrow to help the district and local union launch their teacher-effectiveness efforts. An all-employee kickoff will be held at the Carnegie Museums in Oakland.

The AFT, which represents about 1.4 million teachers and other school employees nationwide, will help the local union and district develop the performance pay system.

A move to performance pay and other key changes would require the approval of PFT members in a new contract; the current pact with the district expires June 30.

In their grant proposal to the Gates Foundation, the district and union acknowledged that PFT members will have the "final voice" on whether some initiatives are implemented. Under the grant agreement with the foundation, money can be withheld if the district doesn't make adequate progress implementing its plan. The agreement, however, does not spell out the goals that must be met in order to prevent a loss of funds.

Mr. Tarka said a shift away from the traditional salary scale appears to be the wave of the future.

In recent years, some districts received Teacher Incentive Fund, or TIF, grants to develop new compensation systems. Now, President Barack Obama's administration has signaled that new federal funding opportunities will favor school districts that link teacher pay to student achievement gains.

"It would be foolish not to recognize that, and it would be unfortunate not to view these considerations as opportunities, not just challenges," Mr. Tarka said.

If changes are coming, he added, he'd rather help plan them than react to proposals developed by somebody else.

Mr. Tarka and district Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said the teacher-effectiveness plan would offer teachers new opportunities, such as receiving extra pay for working with ninth- or 10th-graders or serving as "turnaround teachers" in struggling schools.

"I'm very optimistic that teachers will see far more opportunity than risk," Mr. Roosevelt said.

Ms. Weingarten said the district is "suited to do the next generation of real school reform," in part because Mr. Roosevelt understands the value of working with the union.

"The John Wayne types don't last in education," she said. "The types that succeed in education are those who are very impatient but understand collaboration is the way in which school reform really works."

Before the Gates Foundation grant opportunity came along, the union and district already were collaborating on a new method of evaluating teachers. Teachers in about 30 schools offered to pilot the program--something Mr. Tarka regarded as a sign of many members' openness to change.

Still, Mr. Tarka has a difficult road ahead.

Some teachers already are disenchanted with new curricula and other changes the district has made as part of Mr. Roosevelt's 4-year-old improvement campaign.

Since becoming PFT president in 2005, Mr. Tarka has delivered two contracts. One, in 2006, passed on the second vote. The other, in 2008, immediately passed by a wide margin.

While alternative compensation programs are popping up around the country, a shift from the traditional salary schedule still is a move into unfamiliar territory.

"I think there's still plenty of room in the vanguard," said Chris Thorn, associate director of the Value-Added Research Center, housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The center works with 33 recipients of TIF grants, representing about 50 school districts and more than 100 charter schools nationwide.

Under the widely varied programs, Mr. Thorn said, incentive money has been awarded to teachers, principals and other types of school employees. Incentives have been based on various benchmarks, including test scores and classroom observations. Bonuses have been given for individual and building-wide performance, and the awards have reflected student-achievement gains, improved teacher retention and employees' willingness to accept tough assignments.

The Pittsburgh district uses a TIF grant to help fund its performance-pay system for principals.

Mr. Tarka and district officials see the teacher-effectiveness plan as an important part of efforts to raise the graduation rate, position students to take advantage of the Pittsburgh Promise college scholarship program and help them succeed in college or postsecondary training.

The Promise, which by 2012 will offer scholarships of up to $40,000 to each graduate who meets certain enrollment and academic criteria, has garnered national publicity for the district. Mr. Tarka said his members' willingness to embrace the teacher-effectiveness plan would fuel the district's progress and send a positive message about urban education.

"We want the district to succeed," he said.

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