The Bend-La Pine School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to amendSuperintendent Ron Wilkinson’s contract and allow the board to grant Wilkinson a performance-based bonus.

Wilkinson’s salary for the 2013-14 school year is $158,000, but the board now has the ability to award an additional $15,800, 10 percent of his base salary. Half of the potential bonus is tied to six quantitative key performance indicators, while the other half relies upon the board’s qualitative evaluation of his competencies in six areas.

“We’re not talking about incentivizing our superintendent,” said board member Nori Juba. “We are rewarding him for outcomes. We’re looking at data aligned with board goals and competencies not aligned with numbers. It’s reflective of what our teachers say about wanting to not just be measured based on test scores.”

While such a performance-based system has been used in the state before, board members said Bend-La Pine will be the only district currently using such a system.

“We could definitely see an increase in the percent of pay based on performance,” Juba said. “But for now, we are taking baby steps.”

The six key performance indicators are set to district achievement in first-grade reading, third-grade reading, fifth-grade math, eighth-grade math, college readiness based on ACT scores and the four-year graduation rate. The board will determine what constitutes meeting a target. The six competencies are education leadership, administrative leadership, fiscal management, board relations, community relations and personal qualities. For both sets of measures, the board can award the maximum bonus or a lesser amount depending on how Wilkinson performs. The bonus will be awarded at the end of the school year.

“This is a responsible way to handle public money, as we want to base the pay on what the district contributes to community growth,” said board Chairwoman Cheri Helt. “These measures contribute to community growth.”

Future base pay will also be tied to the performance-based bonus. For the 2014-15 school year, Wilkinson’s salary will increase no less than 30 percent and no more than 50 percent of any bonus he receives in the 2013-14 school year.

“With a sitting superintendent, we will need raises anyway,” Helt said. “But with this structure, we can tie them to whether or not he is doing the job.”