Anonymous wrote:most of you have zero idea of what principals do.  they should get a 12% raise just for being targets on dcum.
 
 
		
 
 My mom and SIL are both elementary school principals so I do actually know what they do.
 
 12% is a big jump but I'd want to know what the baseline was before judging. DC's COL has shot through the roof in the last 10 years and if raises are not keeping up with that, a 12% raise could be necessary simply to attract and retain candidates in these roles. It can be very hard to find qualified school administrators and they are also more likely to be poached than teachers are -- nearby school districts will absolutely try to attract your principals and APs with better offers if they are looking to hire, and in the DMV where there are so many school districts so close together, the risk is even higher. 
 
 Plus retaining [good] administration can also play a huge role in attracting and retaining teachers, who largely prefer to work at schools with consistent leadership. Teachers do not want to have to train up young administrators who don't know what they are doing, and they also don't want to have to adjust to a new principal every three years. So this can also be seen as an indirect investment in teachers, provided this contract doesn't leave too little pie left for when (if?) the teachers union finally gets their contract.