Favoritism No Concern
CSA Head: Bonuses Paid Out on Merit

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

The leader of the Principals' union argued last week that the $25,000 merit-pay provision of his union's tentative contract agreement did not open the door to favoritism or break down traditional labor equity standards.

JOEL I. KLEIN: Bigger say over problem schools.

Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernest Logan pointed to pay-for-performance terms in the previous union contract, and asserted that if the criteria used to judge school progress is objective, the bonuses can't be used to unfairly punish or reward school employees. Officials at other unions, none of whom was willing to be quoted, were skeptical, however, that the program would be free of favoritism.

'This Isn't What's New'

"I don't want to bust this bubble," Mr. Logan said April 24, the day after the deal was announced, "but this was not the major piece of the contract. It's not what's new."

Mr. Logan said the unique provision was giving a select group of Principals an additional $25,000 annually to make a three-year commitment to run a low-performing school.

The union's bitter four-year struggle with the city to get a contract had threatened to undermine Mayor Bloomberg's school reorganization plan, which relies heavily on Principals to produce immediate educational improvements.

The proposed deal would give school administrators a $4,000 cash payment and a 23-percent raise over the 80 months covered by the contract, which would expire in 2010. It would award $25,000 bonuses to the top-rated Principals. Assistant Principals working in the improved schools would receive half the bonus amount.

Old Bonus $15G

FOUND WAYS TO GET MORE MONEY: Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernest Logan said he was not worried that an upgraded bonus program for Principals and Assistant Principals at schools where students made the greatest improvements could be corrupted by favoritism. He called it a way to get more money for his members beyond the citywide bargaining pattern and said it was consistent with other portions of the deal that will leave 'Principals in charge of the schools like they've always been.'

"We had had to find a way to boost my members' salaries outside the citywide pattern," Mr. Logan said.

He noted that the previous contract contained a clause that gave Principals at the most-improved schools a $15,000 bonus, with $7,500 for Assistant Principals.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is adjusting the new performance criteria to jell with the Mayor's school reorganization plan, but the old guidelines used test scores and graduation, promotion and attendance rates to give schools a score. The performance assessment factored in the number of English Language Learners and the number of children entering a grade over-age and compared similar schools to calculate who made it into the top 25 percent. Bonuses were handed out in three-tiered amounts, depending on how high the school scored.

'Criteria the Key'

"If they met the targets, everybody in the building got it," said Mr. Logan, referring to the Principals and the Assistant Principals "It's not the merit pay that most people think it is."

He said the performance payments usually totaled $5-to-$7 million per year. Two years ago, about 313 of the CSA's 3,200 Assistant Principals and 1,481 Principals received bonuses.

The CSA president argued that because the criteria would measure improvement based on scores and not opinions, the system would not lead to unfair privileges among members.

"Civil service is based on the system being fair and equitable to everyone," he said. "Everyone has the right to get this, it's open to all. It's how you set the criteria that matters."

Klein Makes Final Call

Mr. Klein has agreed to consult with the union before deciding on the final performance review criteria.

Mr. Logan said the only piece of the tentative deal that was conceptually new was the $25,000 for Principals who take on failing schools. He claimed former CSA President Jill Levy proposed a similar "Master" or "Executive Principal" idea in the mid-1990s, but that it generated little interest.

"This allows Joel Klein to find a real star and say 'I want you to commit to me,''' said Mr. Logan."It's truly about leadership people doing an exceptional job. There are some schools that have been very difficult to turn around."

Principals can ask to be placed in the struggling schools, but Mr. Klein will decide who gets the spots, and can recruit up to 10 percent of the Principals from outside the city school system.

A Split in Ranks

The proposed deal, which runs from July 2003 through March 2010, also gets rid of a provision that currently allows Assistant Principals who apply for open positions to bump other applicants based on seniority.

While Principals have mostly been in favor of this measure since it allows them to hire whomever they like, senior Assistant Principals have generally been opposed since it gives them less choice. The United Federation of Teachers recently agreed to a similar provision for Teachers seeking to transfer schools.

One side-effect of the UFT agreement was the advent of the Absent Teacher Reserve, which places Teachers who have been excessed and cannot find another position into a role similar to that of a permanent substitute, albeit at their same salary. Many UFT members have found becoming an ATR demoralizing, especially when they are forced to substitute at a school where they may have taught full-time for several years.

"There are Teachers sitting around as ATRs," said Mr. Logan. "They are moved from school to school. I didn't want my members in that."

May Get Buyouts

If excessed supervisors are not able to find a position, the Department of Education will offer a placement in an administrative position or as a supervisor who also teaches up to three classes. If educators choose not to accept the post, they will receive severance pay equaling between six and 12 months of their salary.

As dramatic as the changes may look from the outside, Mr. Logan said the proposed contract, outside of providing substantial financial stability, does not significantly alter the position of education supervisors.

"What we've done is we've gotten rid of the rhetoric," he said, "but nothing is really new. Principals are in charge of the schools like they've always been."