“Under the old system, only the degree for education would count. But we said, if you have a degree in education and a degree in engineering and you’re teaching engineering — that’s really valuable,” said Sun Prairie School District superintendent Tim Culver.

In addition to stipends, Sun Prairie teachers who earn master’s degrees will receive a $4,000 raise, and teachers who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or earn a Master Educator license will see a $2,000 raise.

Retaining teachers who could make more in their fields outside of public education or in other districts is a common aim of the new models, and a noticeable difference from the pre-Act 10 education landscape.

“I like the idea of being able to make more money, but I think it could cause resentment at schools as far as teachers being able to work with other teachers,” Siler said. “I think it’s a tool better used to retain quality teachers. If schools are just using it to recruit teachers from other districts, I think they are doing a disservice to the profession as a whole. It’s not really solving the problem — it’s passing the problem on to another district. The bigger issue is a lack of teachers qualified to teach these courses.”