Florida’s Differentiation Pay

(submitted by Linda Wiederholt)

During the 2005-06 school year, 17 districts in Florida offered differentiated pay to staff schools that had proven difficult to staff and critical shortage areas were also included. The results were more successful in recruiting staff in the hard to place schools than in the shortage areas. There was not one set method, but plans were developed to meet local needs. In 2006 Florida passed laws requiring districts to develop differentiation pay plans. The pay differed not only for teachers, but also in several schools, for administrators. Thirteen districts offered differentiated pay for the hard to staff schools. Some schools based this on free and reduced lunch percentages while others based the hard to staff schools on the number of F’s. The amount paid ranged from $560 to $9,200. The two highest paid districts required the teachers to work a longer day and extended calendar. The average amount of dollars was between $1,000 and $4,000. Seven districts offered pay to recruit teachers in shortage areas. Once again the methods varied such as bonuses or pay increase. Even within an area such as Special Education, not all teachers qualified for the money. Differentiated pay for the hard-to-staff schools was financed mainly by state (FEFP) and/or local districts. The critical shortage teachers pay was financed mainly through the state.

In 2006 Florida Legislature’s provided $147.5 million within the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) in which the districts had to submit a performance pay plan, Special Teachers Are Rewarded (STAR)

http://www.fldoe.org/PerformancePay/pdfs/STAR_SuptMemo.pdf
http://edocs.dlis.state.fl.us/fldocs/leg/oppaga/2007/0702rpt.pdf