New York's top principals would be among the highest paid in the state under a long-awaited contract deal announced yesterday that rewards the best school leaders with bonuses as big as $50,000.
Under the pact with the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, principals, assistant principals and administrators are in line for 23% raises by September 2009, bumping base salaries for senior principals up to $154,000 from $125,000. The salary increase was first reported in the Daily News last week.
If it is ratified by union members next month, the contract would go further than most school districts in tying pay to achievement.
Select principals can earn an extra $25,000 a year if they agree to work in struggling neighborhoods for three years and turn around failing schools.
In addition, all principals will be eligible for bonuses up to $25,000 if they improve their school under a new megasystem that will award each school a letter grade from A to F.
"In the private sector, financial incentives encourage actions that are good for the company, and there's no reason we shouldn't also use financial incentives in the public sector to encourage actions that are good for our schools," Mayor Bloomberg said.
At the other end of the performance spectrum, the contract would make it easier for school officials to fire principals whose schools score D's or F's.
Principals, who have been without a raise for nearly four years, gave Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and new principals union head Ernest Logan a standing ovation when they took the stage at a separate event yesterday.
Many expressed guarded enthusiasm when they heard the news.
