Broward Schools looks to cut 1,000 jobs as enrollment drops. Here’s what to know
Broward County school officials are considering reducing up to 1,000 jobs through attrition and layoffs in the face of an $80 million budget deficit and continued student enrollment declines.
During a news conference after the school board’s special meeting Tuesday, Feb. 17, Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the district has not reduced staffing at the same pace that student enrollment has dropped, creating a growing financial strain.
“We have to make some difficult decisions,” Hepburn said, according to WPLG-Local 10. “Right now our goal is to reduce personnel by 1,000 positions through attrition first, followed by targeted layoffs and non-renewals.”
Teachers will not be included in the layoffs, Hepburn said.
“We have not right-sized our actual staffing footprint like we’ve done in the past two years with our facilities footprints,” Hepburn said.
In January, the board approved closing six Broward schools under the district’s “Redefining Our Schools” initiative, a plan aimed at addressing declining enrollment and stabilizing the district’s finances.
When enrollment goes down, so does funding.
Board member Debra Hixon said the deficit is “closer to $80 million” this year as the district actively deals with the budget issues and would be at $94 million next year based solely on enrollment loss projections.
“It didn’t happen in a year, it didn’t happen in two years. It has been a decade long of really just not addressing the financial issues that have been building up,” Hixon told the Pembroke Pines News. “It ballooned to a point that it has to be addressed because we’re not going to be able to continue to function.”
The district, the sixth-largest in the country, has been actively dealing with the budget shortfall and currently has a hiring freeze, filling vacancies only for specific needs.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the board directly appointed Mark Magli as chief auditor. Hixon made the motion for his appointment. Magli currently serves as executive director in the Office of the Chief Auditor. His contract has not been negotiated, Hixon said.
“I didn’t feel as if we needed to look elsewhere. It’s working, we don’t have any issues with it, it’s similar to when we direct appointed Dr. Hepburn,” Hixon said. “Sometimes you know you have the right person and I really hate to waste other peoples’ time.”
Hixon said layoffs are operational decisions and that the board does not control that process. She said Hepburn indicated most reductions would come through attrition.
“The next layer would be top administrators and (Hepburn) did say he was bringing us a new organizational chart in April,” Hixon said. “So that will show what positions have been elimintated in terms of the executive layer and then the next layer would be district staff.”
Despite the financial strain, Hixon said the district’s priority remains its students and making sure they are not negatively impacted.
“They’re definitely still going to have the programs that they need. We’re really looking at changing how we use A.I. in the classroom to be more innovative in the way that we’re working with our students,” Hixon said. “You hear every board member, not anyone in particular, say we don’t want this to affect our students.”
