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NYC ‘principal’ — who’s also a rapper — being paid nearly $200K to run a school that doesn’t exist
Caleb Haraguchi-Combs, a New York City education official, is being paid a principal-level salary to direct proposals for a high school that was never approved or opened. The case has drawn scrutiny over how the city’s education department assigns and pays staff when planned schools do not go ahead.
Haraguchi-Combs was promoted in January to lead a proposed technology-focused school, with his salary rising from $141,960 to $192,374. The proposal was rejected in April, but the education department says he is developing and supporting other school proposals; an unnamed department source disputes that account and says he should have returned to an assistant principal role. The issue was raised in an October letter from anonymous Manhattan principals calling for an investigation into a superintendent.
In short
- Haraguchi-Combs earns $192,374 despite the proposed school never opening.
- The education department says he now supports other school proposals.
- Anonymous principals have called for an investigation into department concerns.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The department may reasonably retain and pay an experienced education leader to develop alternative school proposals and support related planning, even after one proposal is rejected. Keeping such staff in place could preserve expertise and help the city advance future schools without restarting the work.
The case against
A principal-level salary is difficult to justify if the school never opened and the official’s current duties do not match that role. Reassigning him to an available position at the appropriate level, or clearly explaining the work and pay, would support accountability and public confidence in how education funds are used.