Where are the districts that have schools with Q Comp?  MREA released a map today to show  to answer this question. A thumbnail of the map is below. Click to view the interactive map.

In 2012-13, 60 Minnesota school districts (shown in red on the map) and 62 charter schools (not shown) implemented programs or had been approved to implement Q Comp during the school year.  This program is approved site-by-site, so a school district with Q Comp means that at least one of its schools has an approved Q Comp plan.

Q Comp serves over 540 school sites made up of approximately 19,587 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) licensed staff and 280,689 students.

Other Key Findings:

• 31 of the 60 districts (52%) are located in the Twin Cities suburbs
• 16 are located in SW Minnesota and along the Iowa border.

Background on Q Comp

Q Comp, established by the legislature in July 2005,  is a voluntary program that allows local districts and exclusive representatives of the teachers to design and collectively bargain a plan that meets the five components of the law.

The five components under Q Comp include Career Ladder/Advancement Options, Job-embedded Professional Development, Teacher Evaluation, Performance Pay, and an Alternative Salary Schedule.

Approved school districts receive up to $260 per student ($169 per student in state aid and $91 per student in board-approved levy) for the program.

Charter schools, integration districts, intermediate districts and the Perpich Center for the Arts receive about $243 per student in state aid through an equalized levy since these entities do not have authority to impose local tax levies.

Data Source: Minnesota Department of Education