Salaries Of Florida College Presidents Under Scrutiny
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Miami Dade College President Eduardo J. Padrón is the highest compensated president in the Florida College System.
Some Florida college presidents are better compensated than their peers at Florida’s 12 state universities.
But so far, only the colleges have the attention of Gov. Rick Scott.
The Governor’s Office issued a report yesterday showing the wide range of salaries among Florida college presidents.
Scott requested the review last October after Florida State College in Jacksonville gave its outgoing president $1.2 million in severance.
For now, the Governor’s Office has no plans for a similar review of university presidents, whose salaries can be found here.
“We support our colleges with taxpayer funds, and we must ensure we get the best return on that investment possible by graduating students with the skills and training they need to get great jobs,” Scott said in a statement after the report was released. “Every dollar we invest in our colleges must be geared toward this ultimate goal.”
Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel was asked to review current contractual obligations at all 28 state colleges, verify that all are in compliance with state statutes, and assess the risk to taxpayers.
Analyzing current contracts, the inspector general’s report found North Florida Community College offers its president the lowest total compensation package of $143,866. Miami Dade College pays the most expensive package worth $630,157.
The report found a lack of transparency in how each college chooses to compensate its president, and there are no guidelines for determining how much each should be paid.
The inspector general recommends that the Division of Florida Colleges and the boards of trustees “jointly establish the parameters upon which the presidents’ total compensation is determined, document the factors upon which compensation is based and standardize this methodology across state colleges.”
All of the state’s institutions of higher education must abide by statutes that allow for a salary of up to $225,000 paid for by taxpayers. Any additional compensation must come from other sources, like student fees and university foundations.
