Rick Scott and his wrecking crew have now turned their attention to school board members. A Senate proposal is making it way through the various sub-committees to prohibit school board members from receiving a salary, only permitting a small stipend and reimbursement for travel expenses.
Sponsored by Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, the bill, SB 7234, seeks to eliminate a formula in state law used to pay school board members based on the size of school districts.
Under the new proposal, school board members would receive $100 per meeting, with a cap of $2,400 per year. Travel expenses would also be reimbursed. As the current law stands, a minimum salary of between $5,000 and $10,000 is paid to school board members, but they make far more than that, with the amount differing depending on the county’s population.
Last school year, the average salary of a school board member was $30,850, according to a state survey. The lowest pay was $22,300 in Liberty County and the highest was $39,000 in Broward County.
Backers of the new proposal say, by paying school board members less, more dollars could be put into the classroom.
Critics say, it’s another attack on public schools by the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Added Florida School Boards Association Executive Director, Wayne Blanton, “…We will be opposing that proposal because it’s singling out one group of constitutionally elected officers who are part time and not singling out other constitutional officers and we think it’s not fair to do that.”
Florida school districts spend $10.9 million on board member salaries a year, according to the Department of Education. If the measure ultimately passes as expected, only $900,000 would be spent on board member pay.
There is no similar House proposal, though Wise said “there are ways to do it,” without a House version.
The News Service of Florida
