- March 12, 2025
For the last two fiscal years, the Flagler County School District has received audit comments for not having a formal plan for differentiated pay among instructors and administrators, a violation of a Florida statute.
Since June, the Flagler County School Board has been attempting to fix that.
A differentiated pay policy identifies ways to give alternative compensation to different teachers in staff members, particularly with regard to hard-to-staff classrooms and areas with a critical teaching shortage.
Though this pay policy faces criticism since traditionally salary is based on seniority, the 2006 Florida Legislature mandated that schools adopt a statewide policy for its differentiated pay by the 2007-2008 school year.
The journey to differentiated pay for Flagler schools has been marked with nuances in its plan. After a proposal in June was tabled at the board’s request for a money table, it was tabled once again at a July meeting.
The board discussed a differentiated pay plan for administrators at Tuesday's workshop.
The revised plan’s fiscal impact was 15,000. The original had an impact of $24,750, but the new plan’s impact is about $9,300, taking into account a projected increase in salaries.
These numbers were pulled by assessing the additional responsibilities incurred at hard-to-staff schools or in critical shortage areas. It focuses on administrator pay.
Of the 67 school districts in Florida, 17 adopted differentiated pay schedules by the 2007-2008 deadline. Thirteen of these schools offered differing salaries for positions at hard-to-staff schools, while seven offered the same for critical teacher shortage areas.
Most districts awarded $1,000 to $4,000 additional pay for personnel at hard-to-staff schools, and most offered $1,000 to $3,000 more for instructors in critical teacher shortage schools, according to an Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability survey.
Districts reported varying levels of effectiveness with these changes, according to the survey.
As the School Board discussed its plan for differentiated pay among administrators, members were cautious of making a plan too loose with its funding.
The board expressed concern about some of the plan’s language, worrying that if terms surrounding problem schools were too loosely defined, the district would have to pay higher salaries too frequently.
“I don’t want to end up, if there’s a failing school, having to pay more,” School Board member Andy Dance said. “There’s a difference between hard-to-staff and failing.”
Though there is a difference, some argued that they are related. When a school is receiving failing ratings, often the first thing the school district does is reevaluate its administration and hire someone new. At that point, the school could become hard to staff.
School Board member Colleen Conklin asked that phrases like “critical teacher shortage” be clarified to avoid any unnecessary costs to the district.
The plan will be revised once more and brought to the School Board for approval at a future meeting.
Proposed differentiated pay guidelines for school-based administrators
The proposed differentiated pay plan would pay administrators more based on additional responsibilities taken on at hard-to-staff schools and the size of the school.
Additional Responsibilities
District negotiating team member $1,500
Principal opening a new school $2,000
Assistant principal opening a new school $1,000
Level of job performance difficulties
Principals of schools with 1,000 to 1,499 students $600
Principals of schools with 1,500 to1,999 students $800
Principals of schools with 2,000 to 2,499 students $1,000
Critical shortage areas
A principal that is assigned to take over a failing school $750
Based on projected need for these additional responsibilities, the plan anticipates a $9,300 cost to the district from this plan.
