What school principals earn

Five leave state schools for roles where pay can surge

Five state school principals have taken top jobs in private schools which are said to pay salaries of up to twice as much.

Long Bay College principal Russell Brooke has been appointed principal of Academic Colleges Group’s ACG Parnell campus from June 12.

His move comes after at least four other principals have moved from state to private schools in the past two years:

Dale Burden from Mt Albert Grammar to St Peter’s School, Cambridge (announced May 2015).

Simon Lamb from Takapuna Grammar to King’s College (November 2015).

Roz Mexted from Westlake Girls High School to St Cuthbert’s College (July 2016).

David Hodge from Rangitoto College to a new role as head of St Kentigern’s four Auckland schools (Feb 2017).

An associate principal from Westlake Boys’ High School, Alex Reed, has also been appointed this year as principal of privately-owned Pinehurst School in Albany.

A state school principal said the remuneration being offered by top private schools was “reputedly very good — rumours of being up to twice the state sector”.

Post-Primary Teachers’ Association president Jack Boyle said private schools were “poaching” both principals and teachers from state schools.

“Our investigation around the [teacher] supply challenges came up with anecdotal stories from principals that high-decile schools were pinching teachers from lowerdecile schools, and by the same token there was a suggestion that private schools were pinching both teachers and principals from highdecile [state] schools,” he said.

He said private schools were generally better funded, leaving principals free to focus on educational rather than financial issues.

But Brooke, 54, who has been at Long Bay since 2004, said he was moving simply for “a different challenge”.

“I have given my whole life to the state system. I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he said.

“An opportunity came my way. I’m attracted by the new and different challenge.”

Independent Schools of NZ director Deborah James said pay rates in the country’s 86 private schools varied widely. “I would be surprised if they paid double what an equivalent full-time principal would get in the state sector, but . . . there might not be one or two that do,” she said.

Ministry of Education head of early learning and student achievement Karl Le Quesne said state school principals were “paid appropriately”.

“At the bottom end, for the smallest secondary school, a principal starts at $90,007 and can go up to $116,782,” he said.

“At the top end, for the largest secondary schools, a principal’s pay starts at $200,211 and can go up to a maximum of $241,865.”

In addition, since 2015 the ministry has been able to pay a “principal recruitment allowance” of $50,000 a year to principals with strong track records moving to head state schools with below-average student achievement or other serious problems.