When the Florida Department of Education publishes letter grades for schools and counties each summer, there’s much hoopla about the As, but not much said about the money riding on student performance.
Dollar awards are not available yet for the 2023-24 school grades announced in July, but school district employees at 15 schools here received $1.37 million in bonuses for students’ good marks during the 2022-23 school year. Charter schools share in the bonus money along with traditional public schools.
Test scores weigh heavily on each school’s grade. To achieve an A grade, a minimum of 62 percent of students must score at least a 3 out of 5 on grade-level assessments in reading and math. In the coming school year, that benchmark increases to 64 percent.
Though an A label might give the impression that 90 percent of students are performing at or above grade level, in reality, schools can still earn the top grade if one-third of students fail to score a 3 out of 5 in reading and math.
Based upon those standards, Indian River County is now an A school district, ranking ninth out of Florida’s 67 counties in terms of student achievement, moving up from 11th in the state.
Superintendent Dr. David Moore congratulated students and teachers for their dedication and hard work, noting that 95 percent of Indian River schools (all but Dodgertown Elementary) achieved at least a B grade this past year. Moore set the bar even higher for this fall, saying he wants every school to bring home an A for the 2024-25 school year. “The state has raised the bar and rightfully so. We will change what education looks like. We will say, ‘Bring it,’” Moore said.
Moore said the district will accomplish the goal with a staff “unwavering in its belief in children and willing to do whatever needs to be done for every single student,” plus laser focus and support from the board. Moore’s motto for the coming year is “Perform. Pace. Preserve.”
Bonus cash is given to schools which either achieve an A grade or move up at least one letter grade during the school year. Funds received depend on the number of staff, hours worked daily, and the number of days worked, with total bonuses ranging from $19,000 to $476,000 per school.
Administrators are eligible for bonuses if they were part of the school improvement plan. According to the district, Dr. Moore did not receive a bonus through the program for 2022-23.
How the bonus money is divvied up differs from school to school, with some schools including a large number of support staff in the bounty, and others recognizing only teachers and instructional staff for student achievement. The School Advisory Council, plus the staff, decide how to distribute the funds at each school.
Vero Beach High School, which improved from a C to an A over two school years, reaped the greatest financial benefit from the Florida School Recognition Program in the most recent award cycle, taking home $476,000.
The 112 classroom teachers received an average bonus of $2,065 each, while 32 “other instructional personnel” received an average of $1,747 each and 109 non-instructional staff received an average of $1,732 each, totaling $188,890.
Imagine of South Vero, a charter school, pulled in the second-largest pot of money. The state awarded Imagine nearly $153,000 which was split among 58 teachers and six non-instructional personnel, with classroom teachers receiving an average of $2,566 each, and non-instructional personnel receiving an average of $676 each. Imagine listed no “other instructional personnel” on the bonus schedule provided to Vero Beach 32963 by the school district.
Third was Oslo Middle School with $150,173 going out in bonuses to 43 teachers, nine other instructional personnel and 29 non-instructional personnel. Classroom teachers received an average of $2,177 each, with other instructional personnel receiving $1,933 each and employees outside the classroom receiving $1,349 each.
Beachland Elementary School on the barrier island, an A school, received nearly $91,000, which it divided among its 28 teachers, 10 instructional staff and 28 non-instructional employees. Beachland maintained its A status for 2023-24 as well.
Indian River Charter High School and Citrus Elementary School each received about $115,000. Three magnet schools – Osceola, Rosewood and Liberty – each got bonus money in the mid-$90,000 range. Glendale Elementary School brought in $77,000.
Four North County schools received bonus money, with Treasure Coast Elementary netting $120,489 for 38 teachers and instructional staff and 32 non-classroom employees; Pelican Island Elementary School received $55,000 for 33 teachers and instructional staff and 35 non-classroom employees; Sebastian Charter Junior High School received nearly $51,000 for 23 teachers and instructional staff, with no bonuses going to employees outside the classroom; North County Charter School received $45,077, which it divided among 20 teachers and instructional staff, plus 12 employees outside the classroom.
