The county school superintendent is bringing her top-tier aides' pay closer to the state's average salaries.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published December 4, 2003
BROOKSVILLE - When requesting higher pay for her administrative team, school superintendent Wendy Tellone pointed out that her top staff is one of the smallest and most lean in the state.
Some of her key aides perform several jobs without adequate compensation, Tellone said.
"We have one of the lowest administrative totals both in people and in dollars," finance director and executive director of business services Carol MacLeod added.
A new salary schedule would alleviate some of the disparities, Tellone suggested.
As approved by the School Board Tuesday, her top-tier aides - called executive directors - will earn $72,293 annually regardless of their years of administrative experience, degrees or time spent with the district. These employees also hold secondary posts of finance director, curriculum director and chief negotiator that, in the past, were handled by people other than executive directors.
Tellone eliminated the assistant superintendent position.
The Florida Department of Education does not have average statewide salaries for executive directors, but it does show that in 2002-03, assistant/associate/deputy superintendents earned an average of $96,545.
Finance directors made an average of $75,420. School-level curriculum coordinators were paid an average of $51,932.
Tellone's new schedule also boosted her personnel supervisor to the director level, increasing the pay rate from $53,633 to $61,047. Tellone said the promotion reflects the job description and brings the position in line with comparable jobs across Florida.
The Florida average salary for a district personnel director last year, though, was $76,389, or 25 percent more than what Hernando County pays.
Principals under Tellone's pay plan get their salary calculated based on several factors, including type of school, enrollment and years of administrative experience. The highest paid principals generally have 15 or more years of experience and work in high schools.
The top principal pay is $74,970.
Statewide, high school principals last year averaged $80,670. Middle school principals made an average of $75,684, and elementary school principals earned an average of $73,907.
Not one Hernando County principal this year will surpass last year's state salary averages.
Tellone said she wanted a pay scale she could defend, with no room for questioning why one administrator makes more than another. Everything should be in a formula, she said.
Board vice chairman Jim Malcolm suggested that the district might want to keep the ability to negotiate administrative salaries individually, but agreed with the majority to remove any wiggle room in the form of what previously was known as "competitive differential" pay.
Board member John Druzbick lamented that these salary debates had to occur publicly, as the employees are "private."
He acknowledged, though, that they are paid with public tax dollars, and that's why the issues often wind up in the local media.
The board plans to discuss the superintendent's raise and the board attorney's contract at their Dec. 16 workshop.
