Princeton school district officials have approved a one-year contract that covers 22 administrators and supervisors who belong to the Princeton Administrators Association, granting them a 2.49% salary increase.
The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education approved the contract at its Aug. 11 meeting. The contract is retroactive to July 1, 2020, and expires June 30, 2021.
The agreement covers the principals at the six schools, as well as the assistant principals at Princeton High School and the Princeton Unified Middle School (formerly known as the John Witherspoon Middle School). It also includes 11 special content supervisors.
School board member Dafna Kendal said the board was “very pleased” to come to a compromise with the administrators union. The agreement, which was one month in the making, was a priority for the school board, she said.
“Our business is educating kids. We can’t do it without the administrators, who have been working nonstop throughout the summer, including nights and weekends, to develop a plan to safely open our schools and to provide quality remote education,” Kendal said.
Littlebrook School Principal Luis Ramirez echoed Kendal’s remarks, and said the administrators, too, are in the business of educating children. The Princeton Administrators Association wants to do what is best for the children, he said.
“Having an agreement such as this one is a tremendous milestone. We are very happy that we could reach this agreement,” Ramirez said. “To be able to come through with something of mutual agreement during a time when we are focused on getting back into school and doing what’s best for the children is really just a huge compliment to everybody who was involved.”
The contract sets out base salaries for administrators and supervisors – to include the 2.49% pay hike – and longevity increases based on the number of years that they have held their position.
An administrator is eligible for longevity pay after two years in the position if he or she was hired before Oct. 1, 2011. For those hired after that date, longevity pay starts at 10 years of service. It tops out at $7,600 after 36 years. Seven of the 22 administrators and supervisors will receive longevity pay.
Under the contract, Princeton High School Principal Jessica Baxter will be paid $163,500, but she does not qualify for longevity pay.
Princeton High School Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson will earn $126,452 with longevity, while Acting Assistant Principal Cecilia Birge will be paid $114,000.
At the Princeton Unified Middle School, Principal Jason Burr will be paid $182,893, inclusive of longevity. Assistant Principal Timothy Charleston will earn $134,058 and Assistant Principal Stephanie DiCarlo will be paid $114,000. Neither qualifies for longevity pay.
At the Community Park School, Principal Dineen Gruchacz will be paid $173,084 and Johnson Park School Acting Principal Angela Siso Stentz will be paid $161,300. Their salaries include longevity pay.
Littlebrook School Principal Luis Ramirez will be paid $150,961 and at the Riverside School, Principal Mark Shelley will earn $148,829. Ramirez is not eligible for longevity pay, but Shelley is eligible.
The salaries for the content area supervisors – from humanities to special education and visual and performing arts – range from $121,652 to $166,408.