Merit Pay? New York says "No Thanks"

I came across an interesting tidbit while reading a survey of teacher contracts in New York State. As many are aware, the New York model is a mixture of strength (the Regent's exam system) and appalling lows (the policy of holding bad teachers in "rubber rooms" where they can collect checks while doing no instruction.

So I was interested to read in a survey conducted for the New York State School Boards Association the following: 

• Is compensation for teachers in any way based on performance? N= 517 
  

Yes 7 (1.4%) 
No 510 (98.6%) 

• In light of the No Child Left Behind Act, does the district use any type of incentive to attract highly qualified teachers? N= 514  
  

Yes 27 (5.3%) 
No 487 (94.7%) 

So if you are looking for a healthy body, 98.6 is still a good number. But if you are looking for a healthy teacher compensation model that honors excellent performance and attracts the best teachers, stay away from New York!