JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The next Duval County Public Schools superintendent is facing backlash for seeking a high salary and paid perks as the district faces financial difficulties.
Meanwhile, the district is working on its proposal for Dr. Chris Bernier, who the board unanimously approved as the next superintendent last month.
Bernier is asking for a $350,000 base salary, the maximum advertised for the job, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in add-ons, including a car stipend.
News4JAX was flooded with comments after details of the contract were first reported on Tuesday.
There were more than 220 comments on News4JAX.com and close to 700 comments on Instagram, where one account posted, “What if actually we raised the salary for teachers and school staff instead.”
More than 1,000 people liked that comment.
“My hope is that as we do bargaining for all of our units, that we have the same pace to get contracts settled for our teachers, paras, office personnel, maintenance, all of the other groups, that they have the same concentration that you’re giving the superintendent,” Duval Teachers United President Tammie Brooks-Evans said at a school board meeting Tuesday night.
While the superintendent job was advertised at a salary of $275,000 to $350,000, a general teacher position on the DCPS website lists the salary as between $48,700 and $74,900.
On Wednesday, Brooks-Evans said she’s hoping negotiations for the superintendent’s salary provide leverage for teachers and staff looking for raises.
“If they agree to what [Bernier] put on the table, or some of those things he’s asking for, I’m going to have to question just the thought pattern. So what are you doing when it comes to the things that we are requesting for our teachers?” Brooks-Evans said.
When it comes to some of Bernier’s asks — $1,000 per month for the car, 25% of his salary for his retirement fund, $50,000 for a mentor and bonuses for his cabinet — Brooks-Evans called them “ridiculous.”
“We don’t offer all those great things for our teachers who are the ones that are boots on the ground, doing the hard work every day. And I think that’s excessive,” she said.
On Instagram, someone commented, “He can’t maintain his own vehicle on a 350k salary??”
A News4JAX insider wrote, “He needs to ride the school bus!”
The backlash comes amid budget difficulties for Duval County Public Schools.
The district is considering closing dozens of schools amid a $1.4 billion shortfall in the plan to rebuild and renovate schools due to rising costs and falling enrollment.
COVID relief funds have also dried up, and the district has estimated about 700 positions will need to be cut althrough some of them may already be vacant.
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News4JAX reached out to Dr. Bernier, but he said it would be inappropriate to comment while negotiations are in process.
“I know that this is just the first proposal that he’s put on the table. So the key is going to be what is going to be the counter that comes from the district, are they going to accept what he’s proposing, or they’re going to come back with a lower number in different options for his salary,” Brooks-Evans said.