Gene Orza, the union's associate general counsel, characterized Hicks's remarks as "a good indication that what the owners want is not salary compression but salary depression."

This is intended to prevent "salary compression" or "salary inversion": that awkward state where market salaries have gone up and new hires are earning more than experienced hands, which is simply not acceptable.

Mr. Rader and other state and local education leaders said over the past five years the pool of qualified administrators has shrunk dramatically for a variety of reasons, including increased hours and responsibilities combined with "salary compression," in which pay for school officials is not much higher than upper-level teachers.