opinion

By Colleen O'Brien

"No I'm not a teacher. I'm only an educational administrator."

Those are unrealistic words in today's educational circles. That's because traditionally in this country, school administrators are compensated handsomely, in comparison with teachers.

But in Washington Heights, New York, "because that's the way things have always been done," is about to be challenged.

Even as school districts across the country also attempt to deal with rising prices and declining coffers, a New York City charter school initiative is laying the groundwork to pay teachers $125,000. Administrative staff will be barebones, and the principal will earn less than the teachers, $90,000. Teachers will, however, be required to work longer hours and do more administrative tasks. The school will receive its funding from public money and grants. There will be no electives, just a basic curriculum. All students will be required to take music and Latin.

The middle school, open to mostly low-income Latino families, will open in 2009.

The school's principal, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, believes that star teachers are the Holy Grail of student success in a school. Period.

He said in a recent New York Times article (3/7/08), "I would much rather put a phenomenal, great teacher in a field with 30 kids and nothing else, than take the mediocre teacher and give them half the number of students and give them all the technology in the world."

Vanderhoek, 31, graduated from Yale, formerly taught middle school, and created Manhattan GMAT, a test prep company that paid its tutors heads above its competitors, Vanderhoek also taught for three years at an under performing school through Teach for America.

The article compared other salaries from the 2006 Bureau of Labor Statistics: Orthodontist ($176,900); Family physician ($149,850); Lawyer ($113,660); Computer engineer ($91,280); Architect ($69,760); Librarian ($50,860); Middle school teacher ($49,470), excluding special and vocational education; Social worker ($39,000); and Dishwasher ($16,190).



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	News Sports Links About Us		Can You Put a Price Tag on an Educator? By Colleen O'Brien "No I'm not a teacher. I'm only an educational administrator." Those are unrealistic words in today's educational circles. That's because traditionally in this country, school administrators are compensated handsomely, in comparison with teachers. But in Washington Heights, New York, "because that's the way things have always been done," is about to be challenged. Even as school districts across the country also attempt to deal with rising prices and declining coffers, a New York City charter school initiative is laying the groundwork to pay teachers $125,000. Administrative staff will be barebones, and the principal will earn less than the teachers, $90,000. Teachers will, however, be required to work longer hours and do more administrative tasks. The school will receive its funding from public money and grants. There will be no electives, just a basic curriculum. All students will be required to take music and Latin. The middle school, open to mostly low-income Latino families, will open in 2009. The school's principal, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, believes that star teachers are the Holy Grail of student success in a school. Period. He said in a recent New York Times article (3/7/08), "I would much rather put a phenomenal, great teacher in a field with 30 kids and nothing else, than take the mediocre teacher and give them half the number of students and give them all the technology in the world." Vanderhoek, 31, graduated from Yale, formerly taught middle school, and created Manhattan GMAT, a test prep company that paid its tutors heads above its competitors, Vanderhoek also taught for three years at an under performing school through Teach for America. The article compared other salaries from the 2006 Bureau of Labor Statistics: Orthodontist ($176,900); Family physician ($149,850); Lawyer ($113,660); Computer engineer ($91,280); Architect ($69,760); Librarian ($50,860); Middle school teacher ($49,470), excluding special and vocational education; Social worker ($39,000); and Dishwasher ($16,190).