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Hernando Teachers Earn Pay Increase

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By LINNEA BROWN Hernando Today

Published: January 3, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County's teachers are slowly moving up on the pay scale, with beginning teachers set to make $6,000 more than they would have in the 2003-04 school year.

After the 3-2 ratification of a new contract Dec. 18 by the Hernando County School Board, local teachers are set to receive an average 6.04 percent raise, plus coverage of a 1 percent increase in health care premiums. The average teacher is expected to make $41,362 per year.

But offering more money isn't as easy as it may seem. The district obtains funding from the state using a complex formula that takes into account factors such as the estimated cost of living in the county.

State Funding Rankings

Of 75 Florida counties, Hernando is ranked 62nd in amount given per full-time student.

In recent revised figures of state and local funding per student, Hernando received a reported $6,905.91, as compared with Sumter's $6,984.83, Citrus's $7,059.87 and Pasco's $7,180.61.

If Hernando's students were funded at the same rate as Pasco's, the district would receive an estimated $6,394,538 more in funding.

"There are some inequities to it," school board finance director Deborah Bruggink said. "The ... formula has been in existence since the '70s, and sometimes the tweaking comes from lobbyists."

Teachers turned out in record numbers two weeks ago to vote on the new contract, which focuses on making average salaries for teachers in Hernando County more competitive with that of teachers in Citrus, Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, where salaries are higher.

With the 6.04 percent agreement, a beginning teacher in Hernando County will make $34,000, up from last year's starting salary of $32,000. The most senior-level teacher - or a teacher with a doctorate degree and 26 years of experience - will make $56,675.

That compares with new starting salaries of $33,858 in Citrus, $36,420 in Pasco, $36,232 in Sumter and $37,300 in Pinellas.

Progress Made Since 2004

That stands in sharp contrast to the 2003-04 school year, when teachers in Hernando started at $28,000. That year, the average teacher made $35,281, with the most senior level teacher making $48,700.

The new contract rewards teachers who remain in the district by their number of consecutive years of employment. For example, a 25-year Hernando teacher who received a base salary of $48,760 last year will receive 7 percent salary raise to $52,175, with a 2.5 percent longevity bonus of $850.

This year's 6.04 percent raise for Hernando compares with 4.5 percent in Citrus, 4.05 percent in Pasco, 4.85 percent in Pinellas and 4.37 percent in Sumter.

In Pasco County, a teacher at the top of the salary schedule will receive $2,120, compared with Hernando County, where a starting teacher will receive a raise of $2,000 and a teacher with one year of experience, $2,180.

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