Overview
- Multiple outlets reported on Sunday that Caleb Haraguchi-Combs remains on the New York City Department of Education payroll at a principal-level salary of $192,374 despite the school he was hired to lead never opening.
- The DOE says Haraguchi-Combs is “developing new proposals and supporting in‑progress proposals,” describing that work as a normal assignment for project directors whose schools do not launch.
- Anonymous DOE sources told reporters that officials “never should have named a principal before the school was approved” and that non‑tenured candidates are usually returned to assistant principal roles if a project is canceled.
- A letter from anonymous Manhattan high school principals in October urged an investigation into Superintendent Gary Beidleman and cited Haraguchi-Combs’ placement as one example of wider staffing and management concerns.
- Watchdogs and some insiders call the pay arrangement a taxpayer concern and critics say the case highlights DOE practices for appointing project directors, how principal tenure works, and the need for clearer reassignment or review when proposed schools are scrapped.