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Board debates reclassification of district nurse lane; proposed raise fails, matrix approved as presented
Summary
The school board considered moving the district registered nurse salary lane from PAL‑3 to PAL‑4 to improve recruitment and retention. A motion to reclassify the lane (which would raise the starting salary from roughly $55,654 to about $70,002) failed 4–1; the board then approved the professional salary matrix item 18.01 as posted.
The Flagler County School Board on Aug. 26 heard an extended debate about compensation for the district registered nurse, a 12‑month position responsible for health and safety across campuses, but a proposal to reclassify the role into a higher professional salary lane failed.
Board members discussed the job’s required credentials and supervisory responsibilities. A member advocating the reclassification argued the role needs a nursing degree, state licensure and several years’ experience and that the current PAL‑3 salary lane “does not reflect those requirements” and had left the position unfilled for roughly a year.
“I brought this up — this role oversees health and safety of all of our campuses. It has not been able to be fulfilled in approximately one year due to the amount of the salary lane,” the member said. The motion would have moved the district RN from PAL‑3 to PAL‑4; the board discussed the PAL‑3 starting figure of $55,654 and PAL‑4 starting figure of $70,002 as part of the debate.
Board and staff clarified how the professional and administrative (PAL) steps are applied. District staff said placement on steps for professional/administrative positions is not a simple one‑to‑one conversion from years of service and that placement considers the nature of prior experience. Several board members requested a comprehensive compensation study rather than ad hoc changes to individual lanes.
Outcome
A motion to reclassify the district RN lane from PAL‑3 to PAL‑4 failed 4–1. Later in the meeting the board voted to approve agenda item 18.01 (the professional salary matrix item as posted) unanimously.
Why it matters: district leaders said the RN role is critical for compliance and campus safety and that salary competitiveness affects recruitment. Board members who opposed the reclassification said they supported higher pay in principle but wanted a district‑wide compensation review and clarity about step placement rules before moving a single role to a higher lane.
Ending
Board members asked staff to consider a broader review of professional and administrative salaries and to bring back a transparent placement and step procedure for the board’s review.
