MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The state of Alabama is awarding 10 percent raises to principals at some of the state’s worst schools.

State Superintendent Michael Sentence sent an email to state board of education members on Monday outlining a plan to award raises to 27 Montgomery county schools taken over by the state for poor student achievement.

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Ten of the schools are considered “failing” by state performance standards because they’re among the bottom six percent statewide.

“State department Chief of Staff Dr. Dee Fowler said there is adequate money in Montgomery public schools’ budget to accommodate raises for the 27 principals,” AL.com reports.

The raises for the 27 principals at schools under state control will cost the district about $218,000 extra. The district’s budget for the current fiscal year includes $298 million in expenses and $289 million in revenue, according to the news site.

Ironically, state officials cited the need to correct budget deficiencies as well as student achievement for seizing control of the district’s troubled schools in February.

In his email to board members, Sentence said the principal raises are aimed at increasing salaries that are “significantly lower than marketplace” and not based on performance.

“The analysis was somewhat startling,” he wrote. “We concluded that their compensation for principals was significantly lower than marketplace. When compared to other large districts in Alabama, MCPS’s salaries were in the bottom tier.”

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Montgomery public schools officials have maintained control over 29 schools in the district, but spokesman Tom Salter would not divulge whether those principals would also receive raises.

“This is a new development,” he wrote to AL.com in a prepared statement. “The superintendent and the board will carefully review the State Department’s plan. As always, the budget is a primary consideration.”

Sentence said the state is moving now to dole out raises to principals in state-controlled schools because contracts for nine of them are up for renewal. He argued the renewals were necessary because they “have not been in a cycle of continuous evaluation” and firing them now would be considered “arbitrary.”

According to AL.com:

The salaries of principals in the 27 schools analyzed ranged from $71,046 to $100,487, which is the range across all Montgomery schools. The range in other school districts is as follows:

  • Mobile County – $82,147 to $136,204 – ($24,352 higher on average)
  • Shelby County – $78,741 to $102,541 – ($9,935 higher on average)
  • Jefferson County – $84,837 to $117,971 – ($18,473 higher on average)
  • Madison County – $74,320 to $120,189 – ($11,274 higher on average)
  • Baldwin County – $82,229 to $109,936 – ($14,366 higher on average)

Information obtained from the state department of education shows across Alabama, for the current school year, principals’ salaries in county systems range from $62,000 to $132,000. In city systems, principals’ salaries range from $50,400 to $139,000.