Some Express Doubts About Merit Pay For School Principals
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel has unveiled $5 million fund to provide merit pay for Chicago Public School principals, but there are some expressing doubts and concerns.
CPS chief executive officer Jean-Claude Brizard said Monday that the bonuses would likely range from $5,000 to $10,000.
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"One way to look at it is basically you have about $1.2 million, $1.25 million, available per year," Mayor Emanuel said. "That doesn't mean you have to use it all that year. If you need to, you can roll it over."
As WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, Clarice Berry, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, says she wants to learn more about the merit pay plan before her group can support it.
Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) is already leaning against the plan. He says there is no demonstration that merit pay works.
"We should be focusing on dollars and cents, on decreasing the classroom size. Increasing dollars and cents should go into neighborhood school programs, and the private sector should be lauded to help leverage public dollars, but they should do it for the right reasons," he said.
But Mayor Emanuel says the program focuses not just on bonuses for things such as test scores and attendance, but also on training and support for principals and other dimensions as well. Berry said this was good news.
"I did hear the mayor say that it was not just going to be attendance and test scores. That was something that was hopeful, and I know that there are so many components that go into making a good school, and making children successful," Berry said.
Emanuel also said he plans to make good on his campaign promise of merit pay for teachers, but noted that principals have gone a couple of years without pay raises. He also needs legislative approval in order to enact merit pay for teachers.
