School Principal Pay Rises, Anaheim Gathering Told

Salaries for school principals rose sharply again in 1987-88, with the average high school pay surpassing $50,000 and one Illinois district reaching a record $79,400, according to a national survey released Thursday in Anaheim.

The study, based on data compiled by the independent Educational Research Service, was released by the National Assn. of Secondary School Principals, which is holding its convention in Anaheim.

“Compensation for principals generally has taken another strong leap upward this year,” said Paul Hersey, director of professional assistance for the principals’ group.

“This is a clear recognition by America that the school principal is the key player in building effective schools,” Hersey said, adding that school boards are increasingly recognizing that “they must offer competitive compensation packages to attract the best people.”

The study, which was based on data from more than 1,000 school systems nationwide and ranked districts by size and expenditures per pupil, found salary increases ranged from 4.1 to 8.7%.

The highest salary, $79,400, was paid to a principal in Illinois. Hersey declined to identify the district except to say that it was a one-high-school district in the Chicago area. The study said the district had an enrollment of between 2,500 and 9,999 students and a per-pupil expenditure of $5,000 or more.

The average salaries for high school principals nationwide was $50,512, an increase of 5.5% for the year.

For junior high and middle school principals, the average was $47,078, while the average for elementary principals was $43,654.

Assistant principals averaged $41,839 in high school, $40,093 in junior high and middle school and $36,364 in elementary school.

For the second consecutive year, principals in the Far West, which includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, fared the best with an average annual salary of $46,809.

The poorest paid, at $35,278, were in the Southeast, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, the study said.

Other regions and their average pay were:

- New England, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, $41,453.

- Mideast, including Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, $42,992.

- Great Lakes, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, $40,450.

- Plains, including Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, $39,203.