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Florida high school coaching pay battle seeing light at the end of the tunnel

IMG_8358by: Andy Villamarzo10 hours agoAndy_Villamarzo
Syndication: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Venice High School head football coach John Peacock. Venice celebrated a huge win 55-26 over the West Orange Warriors, winning the Class 7A-Region 2 Final, at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice, FL, on Friday night Nov. 29, 2024.

To put it bluntly, when comparing Florida’s coaching pay for high school athletics compared to the rest of the country, especially featured states like Alabama, California, Georgia and Texas, it’s quite laughable the amount coaches receive for the time they put in.

As well documented over the last few years by News4JAX’s Justin Barney, the state of coaching pay, especially for high school football coaches seems miniscule compared to per se Florida’s northern neighbor, Georgia.

A Senate education committee had multiple hours of discussion last week in Tallahassee, which included Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramjit and Charlie Ward, a Heisman Trophy winner and former Florida State football/basketball star. Ramjit spoke to Rivals and viewed the growing momentum for coaching pay improving in the Sunshine State as the biggest steps taken since he began his quest to help high school coaches around Florida in four years.

“I would say in the four years of our organization, definitely the biggest moment, and I think for coaches in Florida, over the last 50 years,” Ramjit said.

“I want to say it’s the biggest moment because they’ve never had the opportunity to get in front of the Senate and present the type of data that we were able to present. To talk about the responsibilities of a coach and how it has changed since the supplement scheduled was created in the mid to late 1970’s. They’ve never had that opportunity.”

How Ramjit described Senate’s reaction to the information provided on Florida high school athletics coaching pay compared to states like Alabama, Georgia and Texas was jay dropping.

“So the Senate themselves, they have not been aware of the issues that our coaches are facing and they were not aware of how many coaches have actually been leaving our state to go to neighboring states for higher compensation,” Ramjit said.

“I would say for many of the senators on the committee, their jaws hit the floor, especially when I was able to compare Valdosta High School (pay) being 78 miles north of Leon High School and then Alabama, where in Escambia County, Auburn High School, which is a public school is 70 miles west.”

Valdosta’s Shelton Felton was listed as the fifth highest paid coach out of the state of Georgia from the 2024 season at $152,421.

Rivals asked Ramjit what’s next in the process for the Florida Coaches Coalition when it comes to any further discussions or presenting of facts and the FCC Executive Director said his organization’s job is done for now as Senate, House of Representatives and Department of Education has all of the information provided to them. He says the next step would be a bill being put together and presented before January and then possibly by the end of March, having the bill approved by the House and Senate. The bill’s final step after that would need to be signed off by Governor Ron DeSantis before it’s fully approved.

“I think for now, our work is done,” Ramjit said. “All the information that we could have possibly put together is now in front of both Senate and the House. It’s also in front of the DOE and in front of the governor’s office. Everyone that needs to have all the information has the information and we’re talking years of research, all there in front of them. All of that has also been vetted by the state government, so the information is there.”

With trying to create change when it comes to coaching pay in Florida has been met with skepticism from high school coaches that believe nothing will change, no matter what has been done or presented to Florida’s governing body. Ramjit answers that with that the FCC’s work has seen steady progression since 2021 and that getting in front of the Senate shows lawmakers are listening when it comes to the issues surrounding high school coaching pay.

“The first thing I would say is they’re always going to be skeptics about this,” Ramjit added. “You’re going to have those that have been so marginalized by the education system here in Florida and that will say change is not coming.

“But if you see the steady progression of every step that we have taken from the inception of the organization to now last Tuesday, actually being on the capitol at a public hearing, presenting data. (Senate) did not have to do that. The Senate did not have to do that, but they did and it shows that they’re listening. Shows that they’re paying attention and it shows, I think, for a lot of coaches that change is on the way. My message to coaches is simply it’s about time. Change is coming.”

Below is the coaches’ stipends amounts per a bill that has been worked on by Ramjit on the FCC that would set coaching pay at minimum wage, which will be $15 an hour starting in September 2026.

Football

Head coach: $22,500 stipend (Based on working a minimum of 1,500 hours)

Coordinators: $15,000 stipend (Based on working a minimum of 1,000 hours)

Baseball, Basketball (boys/girls), Softball & Volleyball

Head coach: $11,250 stipend (Based on working a minimum of 750 hours)

Soccer (boys/girls), Cheerleading, Wrestling, Track & Field (boys/girls), Lacrosse (boys/girls) & Swimming (boys/girls)

Head coach: $7,500 stipend (Based on working a minimum of 500 hours)

Water polo, Cross country (boys/girls), Golf (boys/girls), Tennis (boys/girls), Flag football, Weightlifting (boys/girls) & Bowling (boys/girls)

Head coach: $3,750 stipend (Based on working a minimum of 250 hours)

How to Follow Florida High School Football

For Florida high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sunshine State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Florida.