Newark Principals Get Larger Raises Than Teachers

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s principals, vice-principals and other high-ranking department heads will get a hefty salary hike as part of a recently approved, three-year work contract. The raises “far exceed the state average,” according to district administrators.

Earlier this week, the Newark Public School District (NPS) announced that it reached a deal with the City Association of Supervisors and Administrators (CASA), a labor union that represents the district’s principals, school chief innovation officers, vice principals and heads of athletics.

The contract was officially ratified on Jan. 31 and takes effect immediately. It spans the 2017-18 to 2019-20 school years, NPS administrators said.

Overall, CASA administrators will receive an average salary increase over three years of 4.27% from 2017 through 2020.

The salary hike for CASA’s members is significantly higher than the raises which 3,800 members of the Newark Teachers Union (NTU) received as part of their most recent contract. The district’s teachers, clerks and aides will get an annual average salary increase of 2.43 percent between 2015 through 2019, with the possibility to bargain from 2.95 percent to 3.25 percent in the final year of the contract.

• See related article: Newark Teachers Union Agrees To New Contract, Salary Increases
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However, Mike Maillaro, director of research and communication at the Newark Teachers Union, cautioned that saying administrators "got significantly higher raises" than the NTU members is ignoring the fact that CASA members had been without a contract for the last nine years.

"Their new contract does not include retro payments for that time," Maillaro told Patch. "All of the contracts we have settled in that time periods DID include raises throughout as well as retro payments."

'CREATING STABILIY'

NPS administrators said that the CASA contract will help the district to “create stability” as it starts to transition to local control after more than two decades of state oversight.

• See related article: Positive Vibes As Newark Schools Return To Local Control

“I’d like to thank our team here at NPS and the leadership of CASA for their hard work to get to this agreement done,” Interim Superintendent Robert Gregory said. “We have some of the most talented and hardest working school leaders in the country here in Newark. This contract sends the message that our administrators are deeply valued and allows us to attract even more great leaders moving forward.”

“Our schools can only achieve greatness with great school leaders,” said Larisa Shambaugh, NPS chief talent officer. “After almost nine years without a new contract, this negotiation was really all about doing right by a group of the most important people in the district.”

• See related article: Newark School Custodians Get New Contract (Goodbye Seniority-Based Raises)
• See related article: Newark Schools Says New Contract With Middle Management Will Be 'Performance-Based'

According to NPS administrators, in addition to the salary hikes, CASA administrators will also see other changes:

• A New Salary Guide with Performance-Based Raises – “In a ground-breaking provision of the contract, CASA administrators will now earn raises on a new 10-step salary guide based on their performance rating. Previous collective bargaining agreements with the district were the first in the state to move to performance-based pay, and now Newark administrators will join other NPS employees as the leaders in the state on this issue. Specifically, administrators will move a step on their salary scale when they are rated Effective or Highly Effective. Furthermore, by reducing the amount of steps from 15 to 10, this new guide allows CASA administrators to reach the top salary at a faster pace.”
• Stipends for Administrators in Extended Learning Time Schools – “Almost half the schools in NPS have an extended day for staff and students, allowing for more learning time for students and more collaborative planning for teachers. Now, with this contract, CASA administrators who work in these schools with extended learning time will earn additional compensation. For example, starting this year, administrators will earn a $5,200 stipend for their additional work in an extended learning time school.”
• Healthcare Savings – “Those CASA administrators who have NPS PPO 10, 15, and 15/25 plans will be moved to the 20/20 plan (i.e., $20 co-pay for both general and specialty doctors). This means that CASA administrators will have access to their same network of providers, but at a lower monthly contribution, thereby potentially saving money in each paycheck. Co-pays per visit and out-of- pocket maximums will increase, but for many CASA administrators the overall cost for medical expenses may decrease.”
• Prescription Benefit Savings – “This contract will save money for the majority of CASA administrators on co-pays for prescription benefits. The new proposal will charge a $0 co-pay for generic drugs and a $20 co-pay for brand name.”
• Modifications to Longevity Rules – “Any current CASA administrator who has earned longevity or who will earn longevity through this contract will not be impacted nor will he or she lose longevity amounts. However, longevity has been eliminated for CASA administrators who will not earn it by the end of this contract in June 2020, which allows the district to put more money into the salary guide for all.”

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Photo: City of Newark Press Office

Editor's Note: This article has been updated with information from the Newark Teachers Union.