O'Malley Seeks $200,000 Principal Bonuses

Principals hired at a school labeled "in need of improvement" would be eligible for the bonuses. In recent years, more than 200 schools have been on that list, but O'Malley does not envision all schools taking advantage of the program immediately.

The plan says that the cost of the bonuses, which O'Malley puts at less than $10 million a year, would be "perhaps the single best investment Maryland can make to ensure that the billions of dollars taxpayers are spending on education are yielding the best results possible."

The $200,000 bonuses would be paid out to new principals over four years if they commit to staying that long. Other details, including whether principals already working in low-performing schools would be eligible, remain to be worked out by local and state education officials.

Principals' salaries vary significantly in Maryland. Last year, they averaged close to $100,000.

The idea of using pay and other incentives to lure talented principals to struggling schools is not a new one.

In 2002, State School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick launched a more modest initiative, the Distinguished Principal Fellowship Program. It shifted principals from other Maryland schools to five low-performing schools in Baltimore. For their three-year tours of duty, the principals were paid $125,000 a year, a significant salary bump.

Their appointments were not universally welcomed. The city administrators union complained about bringing in educators from other Maryland jurisdictions -- four of the five came from outside Baltimore.

But a study of the schools' performance released by an education consulting firm in January showed "solid gains" in testing, attendance and other performance measures.

"Leadership really does matter," Grasmick said then. "A strong principal can make a world of difference to children, teachers and parents."

Ehrlich proposed spending $95,000 in this year's budget to continue the program, but it was not funded by lawmakers, according to state education officials.

Other O'Malley proposals to be released today focus on breaking up larger schools into smaller units. His plan argues that performance in middle and high schools has stagnated "because the schools have become so large that school leaders cannot manage them effectively."

O'Malley has previously proposed increasing state funds for school construction and improving teacher pension plans.

Polls show that education is a leading issue on the minds of Maryland voters. In a Washington Post poll in June, 35 percent of likely voters said education was the issue they "want the next governor to work hardest on." No other issue came close.