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It Adds Up: How Teachers in Palm Beach County Could Earn Six-Figure Salaries

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 00:00 CDT

By Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

May 30--Looking for a job with eventual six-figure earning potential? You might consider teaching at a Palm Beach County school.

No, the school district hasn't decided to double teacher salaries, which average about $46,000 a year. But if you're a veteran teacher with advanced degrees and are National Board certified, you have a shot at reaching the $100,000 mark. That is, if you're willing to work at a low-performing school, preferably in the Glades area.

Theoretically, a six-figure teacher could earn as much or more than school principals. If you qualify, you would likely be among the highest-paid teachers in the state, and perhaps the nation, said Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association.

The earnings potential is possible starting next school year, thanks to a 20 percent bonus teachers will receive if they work at one of six D- or F-rated schools in a pilot program. The schools are Boynton Beach High, Glades Central High in Belle Glade, Lincoln Elementary and John F. Kennedy Middle in Riviera Beach, and Pleasant City Elementary and Gold Coast alternative school in West Palm Beach. But you'll have to work an extra hour a day plus 10 extra days a year at these schools.

The plan will cost the district $4.3 million next year.

Superintendent Art Johnson said he and School Board members came up with this plan during a brainstorming meeting.

"We agreed that we really need to figure out a way to make our teachers the best paid anywhere," Johnson said. "When you think about professional salaries, $100,000 to most families would be considered a very good income."

But the six-figure scenario has so many variables, it's tough to find a teacher who would qualify.

"I think they're going to be few and far between," said Andrea Peppers, principal at Pleasant City Elementary. No teachers at her school will earn that next year, she said.

The premise starts with a teacher who has 25 years of experience and makes a $64,000 base salary. A teacher who works at one of the six low-performing schools would earn an extra $12,800. Teachers who are nationally board certified qualify for up to $11,600 more. But this is a rigorous process; only 500 of 11,000 teachers in the district are board certified.

You can add several thousand dollars if you have a master's degree or a doctorate. And if you're willing to work in the Glades, you qualify for an additional $5,500 supplement. If you want to stay east, you could always become your school's athletic director or supervise numerous clubs.

And if your school performs well on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, you might qualify for a 5 percent performance bonus.

Math teacher Cecelia Harriott comes close. She's the only National Board certified teacher at Glades Central. She already gets the supplement for commuting. But with 20 years in the district, her base salary is about $58,000. Her earnings potential with all the bonuses could be in the low $90,000 range for next year and could increase to the mid-$90,000s if Glades Central students make a turnaround on the FCAT and score well next year.

"A higher salary is helpful, but I do this for the kids, not the money," Harriott said.

Xavier McKenzie, a student in Harriott's 10th-grade math class, said his teacher is worth every penny.

"She goes over everything with us and makes sure we understand. She doesn't make us feel dumb," McKenzie said. "Not all teachers deserve that much money, but she does."

Jerry Holt, a National Board certified teacher at Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, has been teaching for more than 30 years. With bonuses, he earns about $75,000. If he was willing to transfer to one of the six schools, he could probably come close to hitting the $100,000 mark.

He's happy where he is and doesn't want to leave, he said. Still, he's glad to know the potential is there.

"It's exciting that there is a realization by the administration and the superintendent himself that teachers may really be worth that much money," he said.

Pudlow said he thinks the $100,000 teacher is an interesting concept, but he hopes the public doesn't get the idea that teachers in Florida are well paid. The state ranks 31st in teacher pay, according to the National Education Association.

"It's something teachers ought to know about, but there's a heck of a lot of work that goes into it," he said. "It's not for everyone. It's the exceptional person that's going to be able to make $100,000."

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.

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Copyright (c) 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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