Education bill would open the door to merit pay in Missouri

The omnibus education bill scheduled for a third reading Monday before the Missouri Senate would open the door to merit pay in Missouri. The bill reads:

Determination of the date of beginning and length of the next school year;
Fixing the amount of annual compensation for the following school year as provided
by the salary schedule adopted by the board of education applicable to all teachers who are similar in relevant experience and credentials, not limited to years of teaching experience and academic credentials. A salary schedule may include other qualifications in addition to experience and credentials, such as measurable classroom performance, as long as the schedule applies equitably to all teachers who are similar in such qualifications.

While I have always thought the idea of paying teachers solely on the basis of how many hours they have earned in college credit and their years in the classroom is a flawed one, this could open a Pandora's box, especially if the merit pay is based on solely on standardized test scores.