The percentage of teachers who got a controversial bonus from the state this year is five times greater in Clay and St. Johns counties than in Duval County.
The Florida Best and Brightest Scholarship Program Bonus has been making waves since it was introduced because of the way teachers qualify.
“I don’t think that that percentage has anything to do regarding the quality of teachers we have in Duval County Public Schools,” said Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Duval County superintendent of schools.
In Clay County, 8.5 percent of teachers got the bonus.
In St. Johns County, it was 8.8 percent.
Duval County lagged behind at 1.7 percent.
To qualify for the bonus, a teacher must have been rated as “highly effective” last year or be a first-year teacher.
They must also have scored in the top 20 percent on the SAT or ACT when they were students.
Duval County parent Danielle Jones said she doesn’t think those test scores should count.
“I don’t think it should. I think what they’re doing now should affect their bonus, instead of what they did prior. It shouldn’t matter,” Jones said.
Duval Teachers United President Terrie Brady said many veteran teachers cannot qualify because they don’t have access to records of their SAT or ACT scores.
Vitti said DCPS is more selective when rating teachers as “highly effective,” so fewer qualify.
“If you look at our data, as far as the percentage of teachers that are highly effective, we’re at about 15 percent. And I think that’s actually the right number. I would suggest that a lot of school districts’ evaluations are a bit inflated,” Vitti said.
The state appropriated $49 million for the program this year, but the program needs legislative approval for future funding.
Nearly 7,000 Florida teachers each got a $6,817 bonus this year.