CPS chief gets a contract -- unlike predecessors -- and a raise

The Chicago Public Schools board on Wednesday gave the district's newest steward, Jean-Claude Brizard, what none of his recent predecessors had: a contract.

Brizard will be judged by the academic performance of Chicago's public school students — on measures ranging from how many 3- and 4-year-olds enroll in preschool to how many high school students graduate in at least five years — under his three-year deal.
With a base compensation of $250,000, Brizard will take home more than Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
"For the first time in 15 years, we have some clarity about what performance characteristics we think are important," said board President David Vitale. "We have accountability built into his contract."
The new school board also approved other top administrative salaries, all of them higher than what their predecessors received. Unions immediately blasted the decision, which came a week after the board withdrew a 4 percent annual raise due for teachers and school unions, citing the district's strapped finances.
"While you took our raises, you're now on schedule to provide raises to people making six-figure salaries. That doesn't seem fair," Chicago Teachers Union staff coordinator Jackson Potter told the board members.
With the board's vote, Brizard became the first schools chief to have a contract since Mayor Richard Daley took control of the city's school system in 1995. The four previous leaders — Paul Vallas, Arne Duncan, Ron Huberman and Terry Mazany — served at the mayor's behest with no formal contract, sources said.
Any future raises will be based on whether Brizard improves student achievement.
Brizard and the board members aim to send a message to the city's principals and teachers that they, too, may be judged by student performance in the classroom.
"We expect all employees in the system will have performance-based evaluations, and so you have to start at the top," Brizard said.
Brizard's assignments during the next three years include:
Increasing the percentage of high schoolers who graduate within five years from 55.8 to 60 percent.
•Improving from 27 to 35 percent the number of high schoolers who earn at least a 20 out of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam, considered the minimum score for college readiness.
Enrolling more CPS graduates in college, going from 54.4 to 65 percent.
Lifting the percentage of students passing the state standardized test for third-grade reading from 57.8 to 70 percent.
Enrolling more children in preschool and kindergarten.
Board members will determine any salary increases or bonus payments based largely on Brizard's ability to accomplish academic goals year by year, Brizard said.
He received $30,000 to cover his moving expenses from Rochester, N.Y., where he was school superintendent. Brizard also gets a driver for travel in a district car.
Brizard said that for the first year he will forgo any bonus — capped at 15 percent of his base salary — given the financial quagmire facing the district.
He intends to spell out similar goals for his deputy, Chief Education Officer Noemi Donoso, next month. Donoso received $21,000 in moving expenses to cover her relocation from Denver, where she oversaw the district's office of school reform and innovation.
She will earn a salary of $195,000, slightly higher than previous chief education officers.
District officials said the increased earnings for administrators reflect increased responsibilities.
Chief Administrative Officer Tim Cawley, for example, stands to receive $215,000, up from the $179,167 paid to his predecessor. He will oversee eight departments, rather than four, according to district officials. On Wednesday, the school board granted Cawley's request for a two-year waiver of the residency rule so that he can continue living in Winnetka.
Hundreds of educators picketed outside the district's headquarters Wednesday to voice their concerns about what many described as disrespect for those working in the classroom.
During the board's public-comment period, teachers, cafeteria workers and custodians called on board members individually to sign a pledge to ward off school funding cuts, provide a top-notch education and ensure transparency as the district confronts an estimated $712 million deficit for the coming year.
"It isn't just about the money," said Ed Hershey, a physics teacher at Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School. "It's about valuing what we do."
Officials with the district and the unions are hammering out dates to negotiate the salary withdrawal decision, allowed under a provision of the current contract if the district doesn't have sufficient funds. The district estimates that rescinding the raises will save $100 million.
Three-quarters of district teachers still will receive raises owed for their years of experience and education levels, CPS records show. The average Chicago public school teacher makes $69,000.