Reading coaches down

We knew from all the budget-cut stories in recent months that districts were trimming their reading coach ranks, but this list from the Department of Education shows the total damage. The number of reading coaches statewide fell for the first time this year - from 2,560 to 2,382, or about 7 percent.

Pinellas County cut far more coaches than any other district, dropping from 109 to 46. Pasco and Hernando kept their numbers steady, while Hillsborough – which began its reading coach program a decade ago, even before former Gov. Jeb Bush ramped it up – actually added five coaches, for a total of 175. Only one district added more.

Reading coaches are paid on the same salary scale as teachers, but they’re funded through state, federal and district dollars. With federal Reading First money on the edge, and with the state budget forecast looking ever grimmer, more reading coaches may be looking for another line of work next year.

"There very possibly could be further reductions," Evan Lefsky, director of Just Read, Florida!, told The Gradebook. But "districts are fighting to hold on to them because they realize the value."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter