School board salaries may be slashed

Looking for ways to stretch education dollars in a tough budget year, a state Senate panel is considering slashing county school board members' salaries.

Sen. Steve Wise, chairman of the Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Committee, proposed Thursday that county school board members make the same money as state legislators: $29,000 a year.

That would mean a sizable pay cut in large counties such as Hillsborough, where board members make $37,014.

Wise said the change would save the state $1.5 million a year.

"We're in dire straits," he said. "(Board members) will still get their retirement and their benefits."

The proposed pay reduction did not sit well with some Hillsborough County board members, who say they took a 9 percent pay cut last year.

"(Legislators) only work a couple months out of the year," said former Hillsborough board chairwoman Carol Kurdell. "I work 24-7. I think our pay is appropriate."

Board member Jennifer Faliero predicted an "exodus" of school board members throughout the state if Wise's proposal survives the legislative budget process this spring.

"We are responsible for the safety and welfare of every child in this school system on a daily basis," Faliero said.

Wise, a Jacksonville Republican, said Florida school board members are the highest-paid in the nation. He conceded the savings from the pay cut amounts to "chump change" in a $22.4 billion state education budget. But every nickel helps in a state wracked by falling property values.

"Since they ran for the position, I hope they didn't run for the money," Wise said of the school board members. "I hope they ran to help young people be successful in life."

Hillsborough board member Candy Olson said she understands lawmakers must look at all potential sources of money to fill an estimated $1 billion deficit in school funding. But she suggested legislators could also look at cutting their own staffs to help balance the budget.

The appropriations committee is planning to increase state general revenue money given to school districts by $766 million to make up for falling property tax collections.

The increase would raise per-pupil spending from $6,866 this year to $6,881 in the 2010-2011 school year. Some of that funding increase will come through cuts to the state's pre-kindergarten program.

The committee also has budgeted $34.9 million to help school districts deal with the latest requirements of the class size reduction amendment which would impose hard caps on the number of kids in each class.

The Legislature is expected to put an amendment on the ballot in November that would let districts continue to use a schoolwide average to meet the law's enrollment caps. If the amendment passes, Wise said school districts can make adjustments in how they spend the money next year.