Duval School Board agrees to $320K salary for Superintendent Christopher Bernier

Christopher Bernier tries to calm nervous parents after another weapon was found on campus.

Christopher Bernier will get most of the salary he wanted from the Duval County School District, entering the role during a time of transition and tumult, including declining enrollment and school consolidation plans.

After asking for $350,000 a year, the Board agreed to pay $320,000 to Bernier, the former appointed Superintendent of Lee County and the preference of Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz.

“When we advertised this position at $350,000, we were trying to recruit as many candidates as we could,” said Chair Darryl Willie, noting that $350,000 wasn’t a “final land” ultimately, and that money Bernier sought for a mentor wasn’t provided.

Willie noted that Bernier will lead 10,000 employees, and unlike in other counties, there won’t be “raises every single year.” He also noted that the Board will review Bernier’s performance yearly.

“Four years out, $320,000 won’t be enough,” Willie predicted.

The Board unanimously selected Bernier last month for the role, and Willie noted that everyone on the Board would have access to Bernier.

“It’s about those kids at the end of the day. We have done due diligence,” Willie said, calling the Superintendent vote the most important thing the Board would do.

Ahead of ratifying the contract by a 6-1 vote, other Board members reflected on the process.

“Sometimes you don’t pick your battles. They pick you,” observed Warren Jones, who noted that Bernier was the fifth Superintendent in eight years for Duval County Public Schools.

Jones noted also that Bernier would get a “7 to 8% increase” over the current Superintendent, presenting an optical problem given budget deficits and looming school closures in the District, which has suffered due to parents opting for charter schools in recent years with money following students to their preferred educational options.

Board member Lori Hershey noted that Superintendent pay needs to increase to find parity with the heads of JEA and other leaders of independent agencies, but that the current pay scale is “competitive” with other urban districts.