School admins get raises - What is wrong with these people?

So the Peabody school department in its illustrious wisdom has decided that the appropriate way to deal with the economic troubles that have caused the elimination of 50+ positions and the lower quality of education that comes with it...

The very best way to move forward and to improve the sad state of the Peabody school system is to.... HAND OUT EXTRA LARGE RAISES TO THE PRINCIPALS AND ADMINISTRATORS.

All the while raising the fees parents and students must pay and going back to the union employees with the expectation that they should give up some of their recent contract changes.

The Salem News: School chief gave administrator raises as others' jobs were cut

Frankly... this is an imbecilic move that unbelievably might even top some of Mayor Bonfanti's recent public relations gaffes! I mean WHAT WAS SUPERINTENDENT MILTON BURNETT THINKING???

I mean was he thinking.... This sure seems like the right time to give some of my top people raises that are more than 50% higher than what the rest of the people are getting? That the time sure is right with all the public support for teachers and the free flowing tax money?

Frankly... this is an amateur move. It is such a bad move I would consider this actionable... meaning it might be time for him to go.

At one time (and a different economic reality) I would be arguing that these people are probably under paid compared to some other folks and that retaining people should be a priority since we seem to play musical chairs with our school administrator in this City... but that is NOT the reality of today. To NOT recognize these real issues is to be ill fit for the position of power and authority required as Superintendent of Schools.

And then the absolute WORST part of the article was when High School Principal Edward Sapienza opened his mouth and made sure we all knew just how DAMN LUCKY we are that he is willing to LOWER HIMSELF to work in a place like Peabody... That is my interpretation of his words which are here:

Sapienza said even with his $106,424 salary he still earns less than high school principals in Danvers, Lynn, Marblehead and Swampscott and oversees more students than his counterparts.

"If somebody wants to begrudge that, go ahead," he said.

The high school principal said he has 37 years of experience and two master's degrees he paid for himself.

"I've got a wealth of experience," he said. "I think I'm a very good bargain."

Administrators don't have unions to negotiate their contracts and must individually make the case for salaries, Sapienza said. They, like the unions, seek equity in pay and benefits.

Sapienza said he sympathized with people who were losing their jobs. He chose to be an educator while others opted to go into the private sector.

"It's still America," he said. "You can still choose to be whatever you want to be."

Well said Principal Sapienza, well said indeed. I however think that if you are really so darn smart... you should have known better than to have mouthed off like this making the Peabody school administration, and yourself, look foolish.

I can only guess that the real fool here would be the Principal who accepted a job that pays too little in the first place. I do not begrudge people raises, but I DO begrudge them to BITE the hand that feeds them.

AT THE VERY MOST... these administrators should have received the same raises as the unions did... which is exactly the way it works in City Hall (and elsewhere in the City I believe.) But to be FIRING TEACHERS while GENEROUSLY REWARDING the administrators (people who will rarely have a direct impact on a student's life) is simply terrible.