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Public school superintendent demands starting salary that's as much as the PRESIDENT makes as well as $1,000 a month for cars and $15,000 in 'transition expenses'
The incoming public school superintendent of the Jacksonville area of Florida has requested a salary that in total will amount to more than what the President of United States makes annually.
Dr. Chris Bernier, who was selected last month for the position by unanimous vote of the school board, has asked for a starting yearly salary of $350,000 - $50,000 more than the previous position holder earned.
He is also asking for a number of other costly additions to his contract, including a $1,000 monthly car stipend, $15,000 in transition expenses, monthly contributions to a retirement account that would amount to $87,500 a year, and up to $50,000 a year to be able to pay a mentor.
The contract also includes a performance bonus that would include tens of thousands of dollars for Bernier to distribute among his cabinet members.
Local Florida outlet News4jax obtained a proposal for Bernier's salary from his attorney, which a spokesperson for the Duval County school district said will be countered soon.
Dr. Chris Bernier, who was selected last month for the position by unanimous vote of the school board, has asked for a starting yearly salary of $350,000 - $50,000 more than the previous position holder earned
He is also asking for a number of other costly addition to his contract, including a $1,000 monthly car stipend, $15,000 in transition expenses, and monthly contributions to a retirement account that would amount to $87,500 a yea
The base salary Bernier is requesting was the maximum number advertised for the job. The outlet reports that a salary of $350,000 would be on the higher end of Florida superintendent salaries.
The figure would be higher than what the superintendents in Hillsborough County, Miami-Dade, and Orange County earned in the 2022-2023 school year - but equal to that earned by the Broward County superintendent.
Bernier, until the time that he accepted the position in Duval, was working as the superintendent of Lee County schools across the state in Fort Myers, Florida.
His salary there was reportedly $275,000 annually.
By his departure date in April, Bernier had served as the Lee County superintendent for two years.
He explained in a statement that he decided to step away from his Lee County after the school board opted to switch the system to one in which they elect a superintendent.
'The position of Superintendent in Lee County changed when the community voted to move to an elected superintendent. I respected that decision and chose not to seek office.
'This spring, I actively participated in processes to secure a position as an appointed superintendent. In Lee County, we improved student outcomes, and I left on good terms. I look forward to similar success as the Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools,' he said.
Bernier, until the time that he accepted the position in Duval, was working as the superintendent of Lee County schools across the state in Fort Myers, Florida. His salary there was reportedly $275,000 annually
Dr. Bernier drops a puck at a game between Lee County's Florida Everblades hockey team, and the Orlandao Solar Bears, during his two-year stint as the superintendent of schools in the Fort Myers area
Duval County is the Jacksonville area of Florida, where there are some 130,000 public school students
Though the package Bernier is requesting amounts to a salary of more than $400,00 annually - the amount earned by the President of the United States - many of the requests appear to be fairly standard as compared to the compensation packages of his peers in other parts of the country.
Last year in Wichita, a new superintendent was hired at a base salary of roughly $300,000, in addition to a $1,000-a-month car and mileage allowance and several other valuable add-ons that essentially match those found in Bernier's contract proposal.
In Arkansas, the Conway School District Superintendent Jeff Collum also receives similar stipends and allowances in his contract.