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Boards' learning curve? Salaries
By STEPHEN HEGARTY, Times Staff Writer
As if they didn't already have enough tough decisions to make, school boards in Florida now will have to set their own salaries. For years, school board members had no control over their own pay. The salaries were set by a formula in state statutes. But now, board members across the state are being put on the spot. They have to decide how much they should be paid for their time-consuming, demanding, controversy-filled -- and ultimately part-time -- job. The decision will have little effect on the overall budget. But the symbolism and the message it sends is potentially huge. "The problem comes when people see that the school board gets more than the beginner teacher salary," said Mary Russell, the classroom teacher recently elected to the Pinellas County School Board. The law appears to apply only to newly elected or re-elected board members, which means that boards could end up with different members with different salaries. Like many superintendents across Florida, Pinellas school superintendent Howard Hinesley is following the recommendation of the Florida School Boards Association. He has recommended that the board members' salaries be tied to the old formula. Board members would get a small increase over last year. Both the Pinellas and Hillsborough school boards will vote on the matter Tuesday. Until now, salaries for school board members have been tied to the county population. Current salaries vary from district to district, from a high of $35,782 in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, to a low of $19,984 in Lafayette and Liberty counties. The school board is considered a part-time job. By comparison, the job as a county commissioner is considered full time and pays about twice as much. Pinellas County commissioners make $76,452 a year. Russell said she thinks that's a fine recommendation. But she plans to vote against it. "Board members certainly earn their salaries," Russell said. "But I don't think we should make that much more than beginner teachers." She said she plans to cite a few figures, including this one: It would take a beginning teacher in Pinellas 15 years to reach the $36,333 salary proposed for school board members, based on this year's salary schedule. Not everyone agrees with Russell's comparisons. Pinellas School Board Chairwoman Linda Lerner said she plans to vote for a salary in keeping with the old formula. She cites the long hours she and other board members put in as evidence that the salary is well-deserved. In Hillsborough County, new board member Jennifer Faliero said she agrees with the School Board Association's recommendation. She disagrees with the idea of comparing a school board salary to a teacher's salary. "I don't think it's a fair comparison," Faliero said. "I would like people to stop comparing an apple to an orange. It is written as part time, but it really is a full-time job." In Hernando County, re-elected School Board member Robert Wiggins tried to tie board member salaries to a starting teacher's pay, but his colleagues wanted to stick with the state formula. In the end, Wiggins said he would donate the difference in his salary. Russell said she too would donate the difference if, as she expects, the board salary is set by the formula. Only one school district, Alachua County, has decided on different pay for different board members. Three new board members decided to stick with the current formula-driven salary of $30,085 while the veteran board members will go with the new salary under the formula, $30,928. One other district, Hardee County, decided to ignore the formula and tie their salaries to beginner teacher salaries. It's very close to the salary they would get under the formula, and it insulates board members from criticism. "None of us saw any problems with the old system," said Hardee County School Board Chairman Wendell Cotton. "I don't know why they changed it. They kind of dropped that one on us." -- Staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek contributed to this report.
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