By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley today will propose paying signing bonuses of $200,000 -- believed to be the largest of their kind in the nation -- to principals hired to lead dozens of Maryland's lowest-performing schools.
The hefty bonuses, designed to lure seasoned educators from across the state and country to jurisdictions including Prince George's County, are included in a package of "new ideas" on education that the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful plans to present this afternoon.
O'Malley will also call for shrinking the state's largest middle and high schools and expanding a program aimed at reducing school suspensions.
Education now dominates debate in the governor's race. In television ads and in appearances, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) is talking about how important education was in his life and about the low performance of some schools in O'Malley's city.
Today, Ehrlich will continue his focus, addressing the State Board of Education on issues related to teachers and principals, shortly before O'Malley holds his news conference.
O'Malley's signing-bonus proposal seems certain to become a lively part of the debate, based on interviews yesterday.
"That is probably the most lucrative plan I've ever heard of," said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "Without question, you're going to be able to recruit good people."
But Tirozzi added that the program could lead to resentment and professional jealousy among other educators in the state if not implemented carefully. Most other jurisdictions that have initiated signing-bonus programs offer no more than $20,000 or so, he said.
Tirozzi's view was echoed by Doris Reed, executive director of the principals union in Prince George's, which is second only to Baltimore in the number of schools that state officials have labeled as "in need of improvement."
"I have a concern that you're labeling the school and the kids in these neighborhoods as so bad that the only way you can get someone to come in is to pay them all this money," Reed said.
A draft of O'Malley's plan, which was obtained yesterday by The Washington Post, argues that principals in low-performing jurisdictions often face additional challenges, including poverty, inexperienced teachers and high staff turnover.
"Half-hearted measures will not work," the draft says. "The research shows that financial incentives can work only if they are large enough to matter."
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.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.