City school managers OK 11.9% pay boost

5/11/2001

Principals and other management-level employees in Toledo Public Schools voted yesterday to approve a new labor contract with the Toledo board of education raising salaries an average of 11.9 percent over the next two years.

The 325-member Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel approved the agreement that gives most of them nearly the same wage package that was agreed to with the 3,300-member Toledo Federation of Teachers earlier this month.

The school board is tentatively scheduled to meet Tuesday to approve the agreement. The cost is $3.34 million over three years.

Under the agreement, all TAAP members receive 3.5-percent increases retroactive to April 1 and on Feb. 1, 2002. A wage reopener is set for Feb. 1, 2003. All employees who are affected by the longer school day planned for next year will receive salary schedule increases of $1,500 on Aug. 1, 2001, and $1,600 on Aug. 1, 2002.

The board has voted to add 30 minutes to the elementary and junior high school levels and 15 minutes - with more periods - in high school next year.

Earl Apgar, the school district's assistant superintendent for human resources, said about 240 TAAP members who are directly affected by the longer day will get the two payments. But he said all TAAP members would benefit when the increases become part of the base pay of the salary schedule in the third year.

The contract creates three elementary school dean positions for the first time to help with discipline and expands the number of counselors and psychologists available at the elementary level.

David McClellan, president of the union, said the package was approved on an overwhelming voice vote at the membership meeting last night in DeVeaux Junior High School, with a few “no” votes heard.

He said the agreement has provisions that allow principals to exercise leadership and to get the training to improve their leadership. “In all the research we've seen, in schools that are high performing, the principal plays the lead role,” Mr. McClellan said.

The union includes principals, department directors, assistant principals, deans, counselors, psychologists, executive secretaries, and foremen.

The new agreement includes a $1,500 bonus to principals who qualify to retire midyear but agree to work the rest of the year.

A similar agreement was included for teachers in the TFT contract. It also provides that principals will get the same $500 bonus promised to teachers in schools that meet their goals.

In a move to recruit principals into hard-to-fill positions, the new contract allows the superintendent and the president of TAAP to agree to offer incentives of up to $12,000.

The agreement provides for about $200,000 to send 26 principal candidates through the Urban Leadership Development Program at the University of Toledo. The program recently graduated its first 26 trained administrators.

The administration is negotiating with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which represents custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, warehouse employees, secretaries, boiler operators, and other support personnel.