'Worth the Wait'
CSA Pact is Given Rousing Approval

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Ninety-three percent of Council of School Supervisors and Administrators members who voted last week approved a contract that will give them a 23.16-percent raise over almost seven years.

ERNEST LOGAN: 'Good for members, schools.'

The contract passed 3,633 to 266, with about 70 percent of the 5,600 members voting. The deal is retroactive to July 1, 2003 and runs through March 5, 2010. It includes a number of financial incentives for the highest-rated administrators and for Principals who agree to work in low-performing schools.

'Common-Sense Reforms'

"This contract reflects the evolving world of school supervision," CSA President Ernest Logan said in a statement. "As administrators are held more accountable, it was imperative that we make common-sense reforms that keep pace with the times."

Principals, Assistant Principals, Administrators and Supervisors had worked under an expired contract for almost four years.

All administrators who are in service as of June 27 of this year will receive a $4,000 cash bonus and work 15 minutes more per day, plus attend an extra 25 hours of meetings and seminars per year.

The deal also increases incentive pay for Principals at top-performing schools from the previous $15,000 to $25,000. Using the Department of Education's new scoring system, Principals in the top-rated 25 percent of schools will be eligible for the increased performance pay, which begins at $1,000 and can rise to $25,000 for the top 5 percent of schools. Assistant Principals in those schools will get half of whatever the Principal receives.

Klein's Added Power

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein will have the authority to identify high-needs, low-performing schools and choose Principals to manage them. If a Principal agrees to work at the school for a minimum of three years, he or she will receive an extra $25,000 per year. These Principals will also be eligible for the pay-for-performance bonuses.

The contract also includes a provision that takes away the right of Assistant Principals to get jobs in schools based on seniority. Instead, Principals can hire whomever they prefer among applicants.

A similar provision in the United Federation of Teachers' contract has led to a number of Teachers, whose jobs have been "excessed" and cannot find other positions, ending up in roles akin to permanent substitutes.

CSA sought to avoid that with a provision that ensures that if an excessed supervisor cannot find a new 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.

Can't Grieve Letters

Like the Teachers, educational supervisors will no longer be allowed to grieve disciplinary letters placed in their files. And all school supervisors will lose their floating holiday, must report to work on Brooklyn-Queens Day, and will have their lunch period reduced to 30 minutes.

The starting salary for Assistant Principals will jump from $88,398 to $108,869 by the final pay hike. Top salary for APs will increase from $107,436 to $132,316.

Starting salary for a High School Principal is currently $107,694 and will rise to $123,282 by the pact's end. Maximum salary will grow from $132,633 to $154,295. The new minimum and maximum for Junior High Principals will be $127,115 and $148,224; the Elementary School range will be $123,457 to $142,268.

The $4,000 lump sum will not be pensionable unless a Principal retires within three years of the deal's ratification; then the amount will be averaged into his or her overall pension calculation.

Summer School Title

Starting in the summer of 2009, up to 400 Principals per year will be designated as "Principals in Charge" of summer school programs and will receive a $2,500 differential.

On Dec. 9, 2009, the DOE will begin contributing $708 annually per member to a newly-established Annuity Fund. The deal will also increase the city's annual contribution to CSA's Active Welfare Fund by $200 per year for active employees and retirees, beginning Dec. 16, 2009. The city will add a one-time cash payment to each applicable benefit fund on Jan. 6, 2008 in the amount of $166.67 per active member and retiree who is receiving benefits at that time.

"We preserved the core values and rights that are important to school leaders including tenure, due process and a defined work day," said Mr. Logan. "This agreement is good for my members and good for schools. Although it was a long time in coming, this contract was worth the wait."