FLEMING ISLAND – The issues a school district faces have increased in recent times whether it’s reportedly inappropriate materials, a school bus driver shortage or teacher pay.

At last week’s meeting, the trio of issues came before district officials.

Gov. Ron DeSantis increased starting teacher pay to $47,500 in 2020. Although the move was applauded and increased the state’s overall teacher pay dramatically, experienced teachers expressed concern about pay compression.

Oakleaf High teacher Joel Miller said he loved his job and it meant a great deal, especially since some of his former students are now teaching alongside him.

Miller said educators are under fire on social media.

“There’s something wrong when I’ve been highly effective every year and I make $341 more than the minimum teacher pay,” Miller said.

A similar field is the district’s school bus driver shortage, leading to longer pickup times. District officials expressed about 20 drivers are in the hiring process and the issue is being felt statewide. At the meeting, the district passed small raises for maintenance workers and some other employees with requisite experience.

During public comment, Barbara Brown said her husband is a bus driver. On top of the wait times, she and others said drivers do not have time to go to the bathroom and cannot give referrals to students.

“A first- or second-grader can’t sit down on a school bus,” she said.

For the instructional side, DeSantis signed a bill into law earlier this year giving parents more oversight over a school’s library collection and what their students can view. However, a senior student from Ridgeview High questioned whether some potential restricted materials would impact his International Baccalaureate studies.

A special interest group, No Left Turn in Education, has submitted hundreds of requests about perceived inappropriate material in school libraries.

Pastor Josh Dubois wanted to protect the well-being of children. He said the challenges to books are not going away. He said the district has a responsibility or there will be consequences at the ballot box.

“You don’t want your kids reading pornographic language in schools. You don’t, none of us do,” he said.

Bruce Friedman, a member of the group, asked where the action would come from. He said the group has submitted 500 book requests. He also criticized the public comment format of the meeting.

“How many of them have we even had the chance to talk about?” he asked. “We don’t get answers.”

Superintendent David Broskie said the district wants to solve problems upfront. He said he was appreciative that he lived in a country where public commenters could speak freely.

“Sometimes, we forget that it’s really about kids,” he said.

During board member comments, Board Member Beth Clark said the district came a long way from debates over masks. She said the district has to deal with some parents liking a book and some not, but the state makes it clear what the district can do.

“With all of this going on, our teachers are doing a superb job,” she said. “They’re not caring about all the static. They’re getting the job done.”