Education cuts hit home with school board members

A proposal to cut school board members' salaries across the state has two Hernando County School Board members claiming that state lawmakers are playing politics and creating double standards.

However, another school board member believes paying board members in the first place creates the politics and would even agree to eliminate the practice to better education.

Earlier this week, members of the Florida Senate Education Appropriations Committee recommended limiting school board members' salaries to $29,000 - the same as state legislators' salaries.

That means Hernando County board members would make $3,912, or 11.9 percent, less than their current $32,912 salary. Statewide, lawmakers believe it would add $1.5 million to the $22.4 billion state education budget.

The amount doesn't include benefits or the fees for school board association fees.

Chairman Pat Fagan said this is another way that lawmakers put blame on school districts and leaders while doing little to solve the problem.

"They need to look at themselves as well. This is another way the state makes decisions for school districts, where locally is where these decisions need to be made," Fagan said. "It's just like this class size amendment. The state helped create this and is supposed to fund it, but the pressure is being put on the local school districts to do it. They take it out of our hands and then put the pressure back on us."

Board member Sandra Nicholson said if board members are going to be treated the same as lawmakers, they all should have their salaries reduced and have to follow all the same rules and limitations as board members - for example, no discussions outside of meetings. Training for board members should be provided - the same as lawmakers, Nicholson added.

However, board member James Yant said he has no problem reducing board members' pay and added that if lawmakers moved to remove all pay, he'd be OK with that as well.

"I don't do it for the money, so it doesn't bother me," Yant said. "I can understand that some people do this job for the extra money, but if you were to take out the pay, I think that would take all the politics out of it. People need to run for the school board for reasons other than politics or pay and that would be the best thing for students."

Board members John Sweeney and Dianne Bonfield could not be reached for comment.

Although Fagan and Nicholson don't agree with the movement, both agree they would do as directed by the state.