An exchange. Bonuses to principals.

| Fred Klonsky
Fred,
One of these principals is a good friend of mine. She works seven days a week to make sure that her students are successful. We both worked as teachers in CPS and we earned our Type 75s together. She was a phenomenal reading teacher too. To label all of these principals as clowns is unfair. The $10,000 she’s getting will not even begin to compensate her for the hundreds of extra hours she puts in every year. Fred, you know I am a staunch union member. While I think it’s horrible that so many teachers lost their jobs, since Rauner decided to hand bonuses out, I’m glad my friend received one. Knowing her as I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if hers was spent on something to help her students. While teaching, she spent hundreds on food, clothes, and supplies for the kids. CPS is lucky to have her. My friend is not a clown, a buffoon, or unethical.
-Lill

Lill,

Agreed. None of these principals should be called names. But privately funded bonuses to selected principals (what was the criteria?) is just bad policy. Let us agree that your friend spent it on her school. Why her school and not all schools? Why should any public school depend on the gifts of wealthy donors who then have an inordinate say in school district policy? I agree that for a good principal, $10K doesn’t begin to compensate them for the time they spend. Nor would it adequately compensate a teacher. But that should be handled through bargained contracts, clear rules and public funding. Not gifts to selected principals.

– Fred

Posted in CPS

15 thoughts on “An exchange. Bonuses to principals.”

  1. According to the CPS chart, the highest paid CPS principal makes $159,000 a year. (scroll to the last page, 328, of the PDF file.) The lowest paid principal makes $117,000 a year. Assistant principals start at $98,000 and most make at least $107,000.

    Principals don’t need bonuses for doing jobs that already put them among the wealthiest 10% of the population in one of the richest countries in the world.
    (See NYT — http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/15/business/one-percent-map.html?_r=0 A $159,000 household income puts you among the wealthiest 8% of households. $140,000 puts you in the wealthiest 10% households.)

    Click to access CompensationReport.pdf

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  2. Excellent response Fred. Reminds me of a quote from Animal Farm that was cited to me by one of my former principals; “We are all equal. But some of us are more equal than others.”

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  3. Pingback: An exchange. Bonuses to principals. | Fred Klonsky ← NPE News Briefs

  4. Correct Fred. No person(s) should be singled out for bonuses. Most teachers, principals and support staff work many hours uncompensated. And considering the source many will be suspicious as why some were chosen and others not.

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  5. “I’m glad my friend received one. Knowing her as I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if hers was spent on something to help her students.” >>

    As an outsider to this District I don’t know this poster or the principal, but this strikes me as “reformy” type language. “Spent it on students ” because she is dedicated is not really the issue, That language is more of a justification ploy. I”m a bit jaded here in Philly, I’m thinking at least the bonus didn’t come from the District itself.

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    1. This is the worst part of this story: If you were a principal who received a $20,000 bonus, what would you do? If you agreed that it was wrong, what would you do? Give it back? Spend it on your school? Or do as Rahm suggested and spend it at the Four Seasons. What would YOU do? We saw this in DC when Michelle Rhee was chancellor. Teachers were offered large amounts of privately funded bonus pay to give up their contractual rights.

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  6. At least one principal who is receiving a $5,000 bonus said that he is going to put it back into his school–that, because the school lost so much in the cut, he felt it was the school’s money, and not his. In reading Stephen Ashby’s comments–if true (& we all know how north suburban teachers salaries are misused when doing such calculations, making it sound like (to the layperson who is a taxpayer) we teachers ALL receive a high five-figure or six-figure salary. Once again, this is also being done to anger people and to divide & conquer. However–$700,000+ (by my calculations–if I’m wrong, please correct me)-??

    And–if every one of those principals frittered away their money on the Four Seasons (I think not)–well, then, $700K for–the Four Seasons! This process stinks–er, speaks–for itself.

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    1. What they are doing with the money is not really relevant. The whole idea is selective and inequitable.

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      1. Oh I agree, filly. Just bringing up some additional points.
        Why don’t we discuss this over lunch at The Four Seasons?
        (After all, I can WELL afford it on the huge pension I receive for which I did nothing to earn {i.e., not contribute from my salary for 35 years, not pay for as an Illinois taxpayer, etc.})

  7. Hey Fred,

    I agree that the process of awarding bonuses to some and not to others was unfair. Since when is almost anything that happens in education fair? Is it fair that my students have the the best of everything while students in CPS don’t have toilet paper to wipe their rears? The point I was making is that it is also unfair to characterize the principals who did get the bonuses as clowns, buffoons, or unethical. I agree that wealthy benefactors should not have a hand in creating educational policy. I also don’t think Ty Fahner should have a voice in what happens to my pension, but he does. We can work toward a better future and hopefully things will change.
    I also stated that as long as someone was handing bonuses out, I’m glad that my friend received one. The information that went along with your post indicated that the students in her school improved in reading. Since an overwhelming majority of the children that attend her school speak a language other than English, I’d say that is a huge accomplishment. I’m sorry that every teacher in that school didn’t get commended for their excellent work. In these days of austerity, layoffs, and cutbacks, I’d much rather that Rauner had bought toilet paper for the schools, but since that didn’t happen, I’m still happy that my friend was recognized.
    As for the person who stated that principals are among the highest paid workers in the country, you sound like members of the public who complain that teachers make too much money, we work only nine months a year, and then “they” have to pay us a pension. I have a difficult time saying that because X didn’t get a bonus, then Y shouldn’t have, either. Life is, and has always been, unfair. It most likely will remain so. And as for being “reformy,” uh no.

    Lill

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  8. Hi- I only meant “reformy” in use of the term “spent it on the kids, ” not your stance, but I have to say that “life isn’t fair” is not helpful. If life is indeed not fair then why make it less fair? I think Fred’s point about criteria is more valid than the it might as well be a friend argument.

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