Prods Mayor to 'Pay Leaders'
New CSA Heads Eyes Contract

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

The new president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators is hoping that among the blizzard of changes affecting city schools, there will be one that his members can take to the bank.

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood-James SEEKING TO TRANSLATE PRAISE INTO MONEY: Mayor Bloomberg's greater reliance on the Principals he calls his 'school leaders' will sound more convincing, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernie Logan says, when he offers a reasonable pay raise under a contract that is more than 43 months overdue.

When Ernest Logan was sworn in Feb. 1, Principals had been working under an expired contract, and without a raise, for three years and seven months. He spent his first day on the job sending a series of proposals to the Mayor's negotiating team, hoping for a break in the logjam. A new contract is the top item on Mr. Logan's to-do list, followed closely by improving members' political education to help the union move its agenda more effectively.

'A Different Perspective'

"I'm coming to it from a different perspective, and I think that helps," Mr. Logan said in an interview Jan. 31. "I will speak to anyone. It's somewhat of a unique way of living in New York City."

Mr. Logan ran unopposed for president and is the first African-American elected to a leadership position within CSA. He served two terms as the union's executive vice president starting in December 2000. He was also first vice president, and prior to working full-time at CSA, he was an English teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal of I.S. 55 in Brooklyn's Ocean Hill-Brownsville section.

Mr. Logan replaced the more-caustic Jill Levy, who served two terms as president beginning in March 2000. Relations between Ms. Levy and the city became strained during the past four years, with each side accusing the other of refusing to come to the bargaining table with reasonable expectations.

Talks Intensify

The union entered into the fact-finding phase of arbitration in September, which could lead to a nonbinding recommendation for a contract settlement. But Mr. Logan said he will continue to pursue talks with the city, which he says have picked up in the past two weeks. A long negotiating session was held on Jan. 29.

"The primary and most important thing right now is to get a contract," he said. "I'm optimistic that we can reach an agreement, but the biggest stumbling block is money."

Mr. Logan said that while he appreciates Mayor Bloomberg's recognition of the importance of school Principals, there is a glaring omission in the city's plans.

"He said that great schools are results of great leaders and I want to thank him for that," Mr. Logan said. "But then you have to back that up with the compensation."

Lost Ground to Teachers

Most Principals are well aware that Teachers' pay has risen more than 40 percent in the past five years. Maximum salary for Teachers is currently $93,416 and will rise to $100,049 by May 2008. Principals currently start at $100,243 and go up to $125,283, while Assistant Principals make between $88,398 and $107,436. As a result, Teachers who decide to work during their two months of summer vacation can make more annually than Principals, who do not get summers off.

Mr. Logan also said he has reservations about the city's plan to restructure the school system, especially after meeting with Principals during the past two weeks.

"We have some serious concerns about the reorganization," he said. "Members were just beginning to get a handle on the 10 regions. All the changes just take too much time away from focusing on student achievement."

The CSA president said that the union hasn't attacked the plan, however, because there are too many questions about what the changes will mean in practice.

Need for Political Activism

Mayoral control of the schools and the recent restructuring have convinced Mr. Logan that his members need to have a deeper understanding about the political forces at work in the school system.

"I want to make union members more politically astute about the role politics plays in education," he said. "I want them to be more involved so they can hold their elected officials accountable."

The union itself has always spent a significant amount of its time on political work, but Mr. Logan wants members to know who's on the community board where their school is located and how decisions are made about matters like resource allocation and where the next school will be built.

But before he ratchets up the political power of the union, Mr. Logan says he needs to get his members a raise.

"They have worked very hard for the last three and a half years, and that's why you see results like what you see,''' he said. "But I have yet to see the money. That's what we're waiting for."