More than a dozen speakers, most of them teachers, filled the public comment period at the December 11 Clay County School Board meeting with pleas for better pay and criticism of the board’s handling of recent compensation negotiations.
The comments came after an impasse hearing, during which the board voted to offer raises only to teachers with 10 or more years of experience, leaving nearly half of the district’s 2,700 teachers without raises.
Crane questions ‘cuts’ narrative
Liz Crane challenged the narrative that the legislature cut Clay County’s funding.
“At the impasse hearing, I kept hearing the word ‘cuts,’ that the legislature ‘cut’ your funding. Well, that’s not exactly true,” Crane said. “When I look at the FEFP for 25 26, it says Clay County received an increase of funding over 2%.”
She said K-12 total funds per FTE student increased from $8,838 to $9,022.
“I do agree that this funding is abysmal and those in Tallahassee should be ashamed of themselves. However, let’s be clear, it’s not a cut. That’s a transfer. You had a transfer of funding to the local charter schools,” Crane said.
She recounted a conversation with a father at a neighborhood event whose daughter attends a local charter school. The father told her the charter school said public schools wouldn’t allow his child to read above grade level.
“I looked at him in disbelief. He was lied to,” Crane said. “I explained to him that nothing could be further from the truth by statute. Teachers are not permitted to apply limits on reading choices.”
Crane said she heard board members at the impasse hearing calling for unity and more funding from the state.
“The message, however, is not to beg for pennies. The message is to stop funding charter schools in the voucher program,” she said. “I would very much like to stand with you on the steps of the Florida Capitol and publicly denounce charter schools and the voucher program.”
Forbess: District ‘used to be a family’
Michelle Forbess, a 27-year educator and Clay County product, addressed what she called eroding morale and unity.
“Clay County School District used to be a family. It was a place where people generally cared about each other. Students, teachers, staff, leadership, working together with respect and shared purpose,” Forbess said. “That sense of unity has been eroded. What once felt like a supportive community now feels disconnected and morale among educators has suffered as a result.”
Forbess said she was deeply disappointed in how the impasse hearing was conducted.
“This board was supposed to be an impartial decision-making body, one that would listen carefully, evaluate fairly and consider the perspectives of the educators who serve our students every day,” she said. “Instead, it became clear that responses and decisions had been drafted before the educators’ presentation was even heard. That is not impartiality. That is a predetermined outcome.”
She took issue with board members accepting raises while teachers work 60-plus hours a week but only get compensated for 37.5 hours.
“Your approval of increases for a part-time elected position sends a message that sacrifices of the educators are not valued. You are now earning nearly as much as a first-year teacher who was trying to survive on a salary that barely meets the cost of living,” Forbess said.
She challenged the board’s comparison to the business world, where some years don’t have raises.
“Going along with that train of thought, I would like you to tell me of one successful company in the world where someone with 27 years of experience makes about $5,000 more than someone with no experience,” she said. “I’ll wait.”
Hube urges board presence in classrooms
Shannon Hube, a teacher and parent, asked board members to spend real time in classrooms.
“Be present, really present, not a quick walkthrough, not a photo op. Spend real time in these classrooms, general education, ESE, middle school, cafeteria duty, dismissal,” Hube said. “Honestly, sub for a day, take the keys, the roster, feel the weight of the work.”
She acknowledged that one board member, Robert Alvero, donated his entire raise to create a scholarship for Clay County students.
“That is meaningful, and I respect it,” she said.
Hube also questioned spending patterns in the district.
“We have seen curriculum purchase districtwide that teachers didn’t want and didn’t ask for, and in many cases begged not to receive, only for those materials to sit unused before being replaced again,” she said. “I myself have shelves of textbooks that my boys bring home at the end of the year that have barely been touched.”
She said inconsistent investments, particularly in safety systems, show the need for better planning.
“With the district budget exceeding $650 million, employees and taxpayers deserve confidence that spending decisions are intentional and efficient. Efficiency builds trust and trust is what’s missing right now,” Hube said.
Schafer demands line-item budget transparency
Patricia Schafer, who said she’s been attending meetings for years, called for open accountability.
“We’ve asked for line-item budgets so we know where the funding can be spent and can’t be spent. We’ve asked for accountability on the one mill line-item budget, so we as taxpayers know where the money’s going,” Schafer said.
She warned about Charter Schools of Hope potentially coming to Clay County.
“Now the school district is being hit with the possibility of these charter schools coming in with basically a free ride on our taxpayer money,” she said. “That means if there’s extra space in a school, these new hope schools can come in, not pay our district for electricity, busing, upkeep of the rooms, and the list goes on and on.”
Schafer said she hasn’t seen any public discussion from the board about preventing this.
“Instead of being reactive, it’s time that our district becomes proactive, works together with the teachers, and the taxpayers. We all have a stake in this,” she said.
