JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The incoming Duval County Public Schools superintendent is proposing a starting yearly salary of $350,000. That’s $50,000 higher than the salary of the last superintendent, Dr. Diana Greene.
The school board selected Dr. Chris Bernier last month for the top job with a unanimous vote.
Bernier’s attorney sent the proposed contract to the school district, which was obtained by News4JAX, and a district spokesperson said it will be presenting a counter-proposal and nothing has been decided.
At a meeting last month, Duval County School Board member Dr. Kelly Coker suggested that a tight budget means the finances of Bernier’s contract should be carefully considered.
RELATED: Estimated 700+ Duval County Public Schools positions could be ‘eliminated’ as district struggles with funding | New DCPS superintendent addresses controversial guardian program he implemented in previous role
The $350,000 base salary Bernier is asking for is the maximum that was advertised for the job.
State data shows the salary would be among the high-end of Florida superintendent salaries, more than what superintendents earned in the 2022-2023 school year in Hillsborough County, Miami-Dade, and Orange County and equal to the salary in Broward County.
The proposed contract also includes:
- $1,000 monthly car stipend
- $15,000 in transition expenses
- Monthly retirement contributions equivalent to 25% of his monthly base salary, which would equal $87,500 a year
- Up to $50,000 a year so Dr. Bernier can have a paid mentor
The proposed contract also includes a performance bonus: $30,000 for a rating of “highly effective” or $25,000 for “effective” that Bernier would distribute to his cabinet members at his discretion.
Dr. Bernier comes to Duval County after resigning as superintendent in Lee County in April. Data shows he was making a base salary of $255,000 when he was hired in 2022.
As his contract proposal has begun to be scrutinized, News4JAX’s news partner Jax Today broke the story that days before Bernier’s resignation, he was the subject of a whistleblower complaint that accused him of “bullying” and “racially profiling” a district employee.
Jax Today also obtained text messages between Bernier and a Lee County School Board member from the day the board was set to vote on his separation agreement.
“This allows me to move on and protect what’s left,” Bernier wrote in the message.
In a statement to News4JAX on Tuesday, Dr. Bernier said, “The position of Superintendent in Lee County changed when the community voted to move to an elected superintendent. I respected that decision and chose not to seek office. This spring, I actively participated in processes to secure a position as an appointed superintendent. In Lee County, we improved student outcomes, and I left on good terms. I look forward to similar success as the Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools.”
Board members here have previously said that they heard good things about Dr. Bernier from people in Lee County as they were in the process of gathering information on the two superintendent finalists.