For too long, teacher compensation has been disconnected from what matters most: student learning.
In most schools, a teacher who helps a student achieve two years’ worth of growth is paid
the same as one whose students fall behind. That’s because teachers’ salaries are based
on years of experience and credentials, not effectiveness.
The standard compensation model makes it even harder for high-need schools to attract and
retain great teachers, and that’s exactly where they’re needed most.
We need to transform the status quo model of educator compensation.
Believing excellent teachers deserved excellent pay, Ben and Kelly Navarro launched the
Awards in Meeting Street Schools in 2021. Buoyed by educators’ response to the Awards,
the Navarros offered to fund the expansion of the performance bonuses into some of
Charleston County’s highest needs elementary schools. By the 2024–25 school year, all
22 of the district’s Title 1 schools participated in the Awards program.
This model of recognizing excellence is taking root across South Carolina. State
Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver has dedicated nearly $10 million in public
funding to pilot innovative teacher compensation methods, including the Excellence
in Teaching Awards, across the state.
The Excellence in Teaching Awards are a bold investment in the educators making the
greatest impact and a roadmap for how we can create more opportunities for students,
one classroom at a time.
Beemok Education is the portfolio of education initiatives spearheaded by Ben and Kelly
Navarro. Beemok Education creates opportunities and changes lives through its network
of schools, performance bonuses for teaching excellence and college scholarships.
