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Education secretary may earn $400,000
By BARRY KLEIN
© St. Petersburg Times, MIAMI -- The Florida Board of Education voted Tuesday to pay Education Secretary Jim Horne a $225,000 salary and said it would add incentive bonuses that could bring his annual compensation to as much as $400,000. The decision, one of the first by the new board, means the former state senator likely will become the highest-paid government official in Florida. Gov. Jeb Bush, for example, earns $120,171. Education Commissioner Charlie Crist earns $118,957. Horne's salary could be more than 10 times that of the average Florida teacher, who receives $38,230 annually. Board Chairman Phil Handy said Horne's pay will be determined by how well he meets a number of performance measures to be established by board members within the next 60 days. In an interview after the vote, Horne suggested several possible measures, including increased student achievement, reduced dropout rates and effective budgeting. "I'm very supportive of performance-based budgeting, so I certainly should be supportive of a performance-based salary structure," said Horne, a Republican who was appointed to his new post by Gov. Jeb Bush. Board member Charles Garcia, the chief executive of a Boca Raton investment firm, was the strongest advocate for linking much of Horne's pay to specific quality measures. "If he is successful, then we'll be successful," said Garcia, who said it is critical that Florida gain a reputation for paying top dollar to top administrators who meet high standards. "Those that don't perform should be removed, and quickly," he said. Horne, 42, a certified public accountant, was elected to the Florida Senate in 1994 from the Jacksonville area. He led the Senate Appropriations Committee before he was appointed to his new post as part of Bush's effort to restructure Florida's education system. As education secretary, he administers a system that extends from kindergarten to post-graduate work. Last year, the various components of the system had a total budget of almost $16-billion. Handy said Horne's salary is in line with those paid to top education officials in other states. In Texas, for example, the university system chancellor earns $355,000 annually. Adam Herbert, Florida's former university system chancellor, had a pay package in excess of $301,000. Horne said his salary is relatively modest compared to those doled out in the private sector. "This puts a lot of pressure on me to perform," he said. The education board also approved salary guidelines for the new system's four chancellors. They will be paid $175,000 to $225,000 in packages that also are expected to include incentive bonuses. Handy said the board will use national search firms to fill those positions, which oversee Florida's universities, community colleges, public schools and independent education. Two of the positions are held by acting chancellors: Carl Blackwell for the university system and David Armstrong for the Division of Community Colleges. Horne said it could be more than a year before all the searches are complete. He noted that the Division of Independent Education, which includes private, parochial and independent schools, hasn't even been formed yet. "That makes it hard to say what kind of person we should hire," he said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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