Ousted Worcester Principals Enjoy Six-Figure Admin Jobs
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Former Union Hill principal Denise Bahosh, removed from her job in 2010, made nearly $106,932 last year heading a special education collaborative for the district.
Mark Berthiaume, who headed Chandler Elementary until he lost his post that same year, pulled down just over $107,000 as the district’s communication and school support chief.
Meanwhile, Debra Frank continues to pick up more than $111,000 a year running Burncoat Street elementary, though she is listed as the “federal program site administrator.”
The big paychecks for principals involved with failed schools comes even as Worcester schools struggle to make ends meet amid chronic, multimillion-dollar budget woes.
While the amount spent on school administration has swelled, dozens of classroom teachers over the past few years amid chronic, multimillion-dollar budget gaps.
With budget time here again, Dianna Biancheria, a Worcester School Committee member, vowed to take a hard look at all administrative salaries, including those paid for the two former Level 4 principals.
“I think that all positions are going to be reviewed … to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely,” she said.
Dodging questions
Worcester’s Union Hill, Chandler and Burncoat schools are three out of 40 Massachusetts schools have earned the Level 4 designation, given to schools with low MCAS scores who fail to show measurable progress after four years.
Federal regulations require that Level 4 principals be removed from their jobs before the schools they oversaw can become eligible for millions in government aid.
Melinda Boone, the superintendent of Worcester schools, could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Joseph Petty, who chairs the school committee, said in a statement he stands by the superintendent’s decision to move the two Level 4 principals over to other, high-paying jobs in the district.
“The positions that you are referencing are under the prevue of the superintendent and it is her decision as to where she feels they are best placed,” wrote Michael Lanava, a spokesman for Petty.
Protected by contracts
He also argued that federal regs that force district’s to remove principals of schools after they are labeled Level 4 is unfair itself.
Burncoat’s current principal, even as she faces losing her job, in the middle overseeing a turnaround plan, while the former principals of Union Hill and Chandler may have lacked the resources to produce results there, Zalauskas said.
However, as a result of the Level 4 designations, both schools are getting millions in federal aid, which the new principals can use to turn things around.
“It’s a business decision,” Zalauskas said. “What are you going to do with someone who you have a contract with? You are going to send them downtown.”
Anger over rising costs
But not everyone is happy with the decision to find other, high-paying jobs for the former principals of two of the city’s worst schools.
Chris Pinto, a parent and vice chairman of the Worcester Republican City Committee, contends the Level 4 principals should have been shown the door after the state determined their schools were failing.
“They should have gone to another district,” Pinto said. “Why are we keeping them around?”
And Biancheria, the school committee member, said the controversy simply reinforces here desire to rein administrative costs at Worcester schools.
The overall administrative budget has jumped more than $240,000 since 2010, to $10.7 million, even as more than 200 teaching positions and other jobs have been eliminated.
The two former Level 4 principals, as well as all other Worcester school administrators, won a two percent raise for the year after a School Committee vote.
“I felt as though it wasn’t something that was absolutely necessary at this time due to the fact we are looking at touch times ahead,” Biancheria said.
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