James Call | Contributor, May 13, 2013, The Florida Current

An inspector general report ordered by Gov. Rick Scott recommends the Division of Florida Colleges establish standards and a methodology for compensating college presidents. The report released Monday documents a 28-college system where pay and benefits for presidents vary widely and with no state approved “parameters” or “factors” to determine the reasonableness of a compensation package.

Scott ordered the review last year after trustees at a Jacksonville college agreed to a $1.2 million severance package with the outgoing president. The report showed that the 28 presidents are receiving nearly $9.8 million in total compensation, an average of $350,000.

The range was from $143,000 for the president of North Florida Community College to $630,000 for Miami-Dade College. St. Johns River State College compensation package ranked number 14 at $360,000.

State law limits college president salaries to $225,000 if the money comes directly from taxpayers. Colleges are allowed to supplement the pay with money from other sources. Some presidents also get car and housing allowances and medical insurance premiums. The report by Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel noted that in some instances the benefits package “was not readily transparent.”

 

Read more at The Florida Current website.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily the positions of UFF-UF.