Baltimore Principals Remain Lowest Paid In State

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Average salaries of Baltimore school principals remain among the lowest in Maryland, even as they lead the state's largest and most challenged school populations.

The Baltimore Sun reports the average pay for city principals this school year is about $108,000. The data was obtained through a Public Information Act request by the newspaper.

Average pay in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties is about $120,000. In Howard County, principals make about $130,000. In Prince George's County, principals earn an average salary of $115,000. The highest paid principals are in Montgomery County at about $131,000.

Baltimore school officials acknowledge principals are underpaid. They say a new pay-for-performance union contract for administrators ratified last year is a remedy. It eliminated annual step increases and created a career ladder to increased salaries.

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