Columbia teachers will open their classrooms to other colleagues on certain days of the week to help increase the quality of teaching in the Columbia School District and they will get $30,000 extra.

"School districts are always looking for ways that they can utilize their very best teachers to share their expertise with other teachers, and this would appear one way to do that," explained Brent Ghan of the Missouri School Board Association.

But the Missouri National Education Association says that the extra pay violates state law. The law says teachers cannot receive performance-based bonuses.

"We believe that all teachers, whether they are elementary or high school, whether they're whatever should be payed the same amount for the same amount of work according to a single salary schedules," said MNEA Director Peggy Cochran.

Susan Goldamme of the Missouri School Board Association said, "There are those who believe, particularly since we're expecting so much from our children to achieve, that there should be incentives for employees, teaching staff to achieve and to do well, and there should be rewards for those who do particularly well. We don't want to enourage mediocrity, we want to encourage excellence in teaching."

But if the Columbia School Board decides teachers are getting more pay without extra work, the MNEA will take legal action.

The Columbia School Board meets Monday night to discuss how the plan will pay teachers.