JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Clear eyes, full hearts… empty wallets.
That’s the plight of high school coaches in Florida, according to state lawmakers and a bill nearing the finish line in the State Capitol is aiming to help coaches make ends meet - without the use of taxpayer dollars.
In Florida, high school coach pay is minimal, generally just a few thousand extra dollars a year.
And while that money is oftentimes on top of a teacher’s salary, those dual-role coaches are becoming less and less common.
“A lot of times, I’m just a coach now because the professionalism of coaching and teaching have started to kind of drift apart because of the compensation,” former high school football coach Tyrone McGriff said.
McGriff also serves as a Regional Director for the Florida Coaches Coalition.
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He noted Florida is way behind other states when it comes to paying high school coaches, with states like Georgia often offering six-figure salaries.
McGriff is backing this year’s effort to address coach pay, which would authorize school districts to allocate private dollars from donations and booster groups towards coach compensation.
He argued the proposal avoids the possibility of pitting coach pay against other educational priorities that are funded with tax dollars.
“When it comes down to it, it turns into a who gets paid first, coaches or teachers and I don’t think that’s the appropriate conversation,” McGriff said. ”It shouldn’t be an either-or. So, we’re really trying to close that gap.”
The bill does cap coach salaries so they may not exceed the salary of the highest-paid administrator in the school district.
In Duval County, that would be $320,000 a year.
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Given the cash would have to come from private sources, some have raised concerns that wealthier communities will end up with recruiting advantages as the bill has moved forward.
It’s a reality McGriff acknowledges is likely.
“This is not the intention of the bill, but quite honestly, it will happen. We see that in major college football. We see that in every major industry in the United States,” McGriff said.
But at the end of the day, McGriff argued it will be up to the communities themselves to decide what their coaches are worth, which is an option they currently can’t exercise at all.
“It may not be $10,000. It could be $1,000, but for some coaches, $1,000 is twice as much as we’ve been receiving,” McGriff said. ”So, anything helps.”
The bill is ready for floor votes in the House and Senate.
The Governor also lent his support to the measure this week, so if it makes it to his desk, he’ll likely sign it into law.
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