Chicago School Principals Average $157K, Unionizing
The Chicago Principals & Administrators Association wants to form a union separately of the Chicago Teachers’ Union, even though principals are already well paid, averaging $157,550 in salary, while assistant principals average $126,000 per year.
Chalkbeat Chicago reported the move to unionize, which includes filing a petition and designating school leaders. Approximately 80% of principals and assistant principals signed the petition. This is allowed under a new law the Illinois legislature passed last year giving principals and administrators the ability to unionize.
The already-high pay averages are both substantially higher than other principals and assistant principals in Illinois, which average $116,400 and $100,000, respectively. Median household income in Chicago is $65,781.
This movement is likely to succeed. Mayor Brandon Johnson has already signaled support for this unionization attempt during his campaign, and has created a deputy mayor for labor relations position that will “foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of Chicago” and “assure work-related benefits and rights.”
Meanwhile, students in Chicago Public Schools are suffering. Only about 20% of students can read at grade level, and about 15% can do math at grade level, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. These number are drastically lower than pre-pandemic numbers: down 10% for reading and 20% for math.
Chicago principals and assistant principals should focus their efforts on educating the students that desperately need it, not on power grabs for personal enrichment.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
We're proud to make our journalism accessible to everyone, but producing high-quality investigative pieces still comes at a cost.
That's why we need your help. By making a contribution today, you'll be supporting RealClearInvestigations and ensuring that we can keep providing in-depth reporting that holds the powerful accountable.
Donate now and help us continue to publish distinctive journalism that makes a difference. Thank you for your support!
Support RealClearInvestigations →
