Letters to the Editor

Say it isn’t so

Oct 15, 2009 1:26 PM

To the Editor:

Principals and assistant principals receive “wonderful” bonuses through a separate program negotiated by their union, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. Staff at elementary schools that participate in the Schoolwide Bonus Program also receive bonuses and decide how the monies will be distributed among staff members. These bonuses are dependent upon the School Progress Report.

It is a fair and equitable program which rewards entire schools for their progress. The only inequity in this entire bonus program is the mere fact that the principal receives a “mega” bonus and the assistant principals receive a percentage of that same bonus, when in reality it is the teaching staff that works the hardest with the students on a daily basis to make sure that each and every child receives the best education possible.

The teaching staff does all the work and gets a schoolwide bonus to divide, while the administration receives individual monies, some as high as $25,000.

I for one am having a difficult time understanding the rationale behind this administrative bonus. One can be a horrific principal or assistant principal, but if the School Progress Report shows improvement, then that very same person receives a monetary bonus. Is this fair and equitable? I would venture to say NO!

Randi Portnoy, PS 229, Queens