“Money is better than poverty. If only for financial reasons.”

-Woody Allen

IT SEEMS Arkansas’ principals and teachers-and potential teachers-are happy to be getting cash rewards from the state. Who would have guessed? Since all this time we’ve been told, again and again, that (1) those who choose teaching as a career aren’t in it for the money, and (2) they should get more of it.

That’s a free translation of what the teachers unions, or rather their bosses, have been preaching all these years, contradictory as the message might be: Teachers go into teaching just for the love of it and they should all get raises every year. The same, uniform raises. Lest we distinguish betwen good teachers and the other kind. It’s called leveling down. Even though what education needs is to lift our expectations, not lower them.

Imagine our surprise when hundreds of schools erupted in cheers last week when the news came of these latest bonuses/rewards. Somebody must not have told all these folks they aren’t interested in being rewarded for their work.

It turns out that educators are people, too. With a very human, and very healthy, desire to be recognized for their hard work. Recognized tangibly. Just like any another dedicated professional, artisan, mechanic or laborer. Those are no mean callings, either. Just ask somebody who needs her car started in the dead of winter or a drain pipe kept from flooding the whole house. Many of us take pride in our work, and should, but it helps when others recognize it. And should.

The state has finally put together a new formula that allows it to pass out millions of dollars in tax money to schools that deserve it. How much each school district and its teachers get depends on how well their students perform-whether they’re in the top 10 or top 20 percent on standardized tests, and how much the kids improve on those tests from year to year. Sometimes the reward depends on their schools’ graduation rates. The point of this whole, statistical exercise is to reward the best schools with more cash. And not only reward them, but give other schools an incentive to improve the performance of their students, too.

What can the money be used for? Whatever the school districts can get approved by the state. Some are thinking about laptops for all the kids. Others are thinking about bonuses for their teachers. Still others may prefer to hire temps and aides to help out around school this year. Or a combination of all of the above, plus some other possibilities.

BUT LET’S not go crazy. Although the money is welcome, the best schools are getting checks only in the low six-figures. This $7 million the state is divvying up among 206 schools isn’t enough. Why only $7 million? Why only 90 bucks for each student in the top 10 percent of the best-performing schools in the state? And only $45 for the next 10 percent? Isn’t improving education worth more than that, especially given the billions this state spends on education every year?

Some of us think so. If teachers and principals are getting excited over 125K in rewards, imagine how excited they’d be over twice that, or three times that, or more.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves or the state’s budget.

Let’s just call these checks a good beginning. And point out that the Legislature could increase the reward money for the best schools every year until the sum reaches the WOW! level. Instead of just handing out the same amounts to all, and so rewarding the mediocre and inferior along with the best.

Why not give exceptional rewards for exceptional results? Or would that make too much sense? And provide too great an incentive for quality? But this state needs all the quality education it can encourage. Every state does. These rewards should be just the start of a wholesome trend. A trend to be encouraged.

They say money talks. It does say a lot. Here’s hoping it says even more in the future here in Arkansas.

Editorial, Pages 16 on 01/16/2014