OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Public School Board discussed the Proposed Central Office Staffing Plan for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, at their meeting Tuesday, March 24, 2026, and unanimously passed an amended motion made by Dr. Allison Campbell, MCPS Dist. 1, minus the position upgrades for the chief facilities officer and for the supervisors–who would be moving to directors’ positions–which would’ve amounted to approximately $97,000.
The Marion County Public School board wanted to put a pause to any increase in salary until there is a better financial outlook, placing an emphasis on fiscal responsibility at the current time. Upgrades are certainly something that will be discussed in the future, but it didn’t seem to be the most prudent decision at this time.
The total increase between the 2025-2026 budget, salary and benefits plan and the preliminary 2026-2027 plan is $2.8 million. This amount includes salary and benefits associated with board approved amendments to the central office staffing plan during the 2025-2026 school year, including additional departmental positions and upgrades, plus baseline raises. This amount also includes new positions to support South Marion High School which represents 37 percent or $1,047 million out of the $2.808-million increase.
The $4.86 million change from 2025-26 to 2026-2027 reflects the early projection of potential salary and benefits increase for all staff across both represented and non-represented groups and paygrades. This projection may change as work continues to balance the budget while implementing site-based budgeting. This estimate also includes the impact of projected salary increases on all new positions and staffing changes proposed in the 2026-2027 staffing plan.
The weight of wages
There was ample discussion prior to the passage of the amended version. As the item stood prior to the amendment, Dr. Allison Campbell had two predominant concerns; both had been expressed in the previous work session on March 5, 2026. One of the concerns continues to be around the position currently known as senior executive director in the facilities department and moving that position to chief of facilities in operations. With that title change comes with a salary increase, ostensibly for duties that have actually been removed from the position. The position will receive a salary increase and a title change with lessened responsibilities, which continues to be an issue for Dr. Campbell.
“As it stands right now, from the financial implication of that, and that alone, I will be voting against this item (prior to the amendment),” said Campbell. “The other concern that I have also stems from the position upgrades that we’re giving to several employee titles, roughly $8,000 to $10,000 salary increases as those positions change titles. I’m not disagreeing with the increase in the title change. What I would then request of the board because of this overall financial picture includes potential salary increases after that in the non-represented categories, where historically we have approved between 2 or 3 percent in those non-represented categories. Also, I would recommend if we vote to approve the central office staffing plan with these position upgrades that those positions would then be frozen from those salary increases as we give 2 percent raises for at least two years. Whatever you equate an $8,000 to $10,000 increase overnight with no added responsibilities, essentially just honoring the existing work that’s being done. I believe that’s a significant enough increase, that another 2 percent the next year or another 2 percent a few months later is not what this board member will support.”
No raises that have been set at this time, with the negotiations having just started, said MCPS Chair Dr. Sarah James. The board hasn’t made a commitment and is still waiting on the financial outlook, and she didn’t want anyone in the community to believe the 2 percent number is where raises will fall, one way or the other.
Balancing act
Many members of staff find themselves immersed in work, including work outside of typical working hours, and there’s a lot of angst regarding how the students are doing, how the employees are doing and how the district is doing, said Nancy Thrower, MCPS board member, Dist. 4.
“I wish that we had as much money to pay everyone what they’re truly actually worth,” said Thrower. “I think that’s one area where we continue to lose against the private sector. We can point to transportation. There’s a lot easier jobs you can get that pay more with a CDL. And yet, at the same time, right now, we’re facing some real headwinds in our budget. I think that our employees in the trenches are starting to understand that. It does make it hard to approve any increases for anybody right at this time. It also is not helpful that this year again, the one job that the legislature had is to pass a budget, and we went through this last year. We are playing with a lot of variables right now and trying to quantify them as much as possible and doing the best job we can.”
A complexity here is that Ms. (Angela) Usher (MCPS senior executive director of operations) was hired under the school district’s former superintendent with the job duties and assignments as well as the salary and the job description from the superintendent, said James. Now, having a new permanent superintendent, a shift in acknowledgement of duties, and shifting in the organizational chart creates some changes.
“I personally feel very confident that the few individuals that are receiving increases in pay, it’s only in reflection of the work that they’ve been doing, and this is simply acknowledging and recognizing work that’s already happening, and really a misplacement on our part from an organizational and leadership level of where they should’ve been,” said James. “I’ve always said, when an individual is expected to pick up the phone 24/7, they should be placed at a director level or higher. The individuals that we’re talking about are answering the phone at 2 a.m. when the power goes out at Ocala Springs or when a bus driver is unavailable and dealing with transportation in the early hours of the morning and the late hours of the night. I do believe these small adjustments are reflective of work that’s already being done, and it’s simply a correction from our side of the house from an organizational level.”
If personnel who are answering the phone at 2 a.m. are being used as a barometer, the school board may want to dig a little deeper, said Thrower.
“We might be able to save some money by putting hourly employees on salary,” said Thrower. “There are other folks that aren’t making nearly the money that have to be available, let’s just say when a bus driver calls out, let’s just say when a bus aide calls out, who is getting that phone call, and what does their pay look like? Are they hourly or salary? Are we spending money on overtime when we should have them on salary and therefore the expectation is to be available. I understand the intent, and this is what makes it so hard, because I would get out the fattest wallet I have and gladly write a check. But what we’re facing, the optics of it, I just can’t do it (prior to the amended version of the plan). I think that we need to go back and take a really good look, again if that’s our measuring stick, who everyone is, and until we can do it, maybe for all, maybe not do it for any, at least until we have a darn budget. That’s the other part of this.”
Rev. Eric Cumming MCPS board member, Dist. 3, shared that this may not be the right time to move forward with the staffing plan as presented, and agreed with board member Thrower that it’s the optics, and asked if the timing is right.
“We’re talking about some tightening of the belt for the entire district, and we have to make sure that we do it, top to bottom,” said Cummings.
A lot of the positions and the changes are a domino effect for other positions on the school side, said Wantanisha Morant, MCPS executive director human resources. The school district would be pausing a lot of movement or undoing some movement, if they aren’t moving forward. Some of that is being able to hire. A lot of the conversation is around the upgrades, and as Dr. Brewer shared with the board, the bulk of the positions are supporting South Marion High School. When the school district has positions that are approved, they’re able to be posted, even though they’re effective July 1, the school district would be able to get the work done ahead of time. It’s not just the upgrades; it’s the other positions, she said.
