Do grads pay off for principals?

Superintendent Heath Morrison says he expects "an uptick" in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' graduation rate for 2013,  though official numbers aren't out yet.  (It was 76.4 percent in 2012;  check details for districts and schools here.)

Comments on this blog have raised the question of whether principals collect bonuses if their graduation rates rise.   The answer:  Only at West Mecklenburg and West Charlotte High,  as part of school improvement grants.  Bonuses based on 2013 graduation rates will be paid in September,  according to spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte.

The CMS bonus system has long been a patchwork of pilots and special projects,  with schools moving in and out of eligibility as one funding source runs out and another grant comes through. The CMS payroll data I got in April showed 1,054 people getting bonuses (out of almost 18,700 employees).  Twenty-four were principals,  including four at high schools:  West Charlotte ($10,000 for John Wall), West Meck  ($5,500 for Eric Ward),  Vance ($2,950 for Melissa Dunlap) and Garinger  ($2,400 for Kondra Rattley,  who was recently promoted to executive director in a zone office).  Even at West Charlotte and West Meck,  that money wasn't necessarily tied to graduation rates.  Wall,  for instance,  was recruited last July through Project LIFT, which paid him a $10,000 signing bonus.

Meanwhile,  the school board has yet to set the standards for Morrison's performance bonus.  His contract allows him to collect up to 10 percent of his $288,000 base pay,  awarded by Oct. 31.  New state exams are complicating efforts to measure his impact on student achievement;  the results won't be released until October  (some speculate it could be later)  and it's far from clear that 2013 scores will be comparable to previous years.  I'm guessing the graduation rate will be one of several measures used to rate the superintendent.