Broward Schools tells 300 workers their jobs are cut as part of cost-saving plan
Broward County Public Schools has notified approximately 300 employees that their jobs will be eliminated or reduced next school year as part of a cost-cutting reorganization plan, district documents show.
On the chopping block, according to a reduction plan released by BCPS ahead of its April 21 School Board workshop:
- 11 elementary school counselors
- 27 exceptional student education teachers, specialists, counselors and a director
- 16 school social workers
- 21 clerical support assistants
Also included are 53 support positions linked to schools closing as part of the district’s “Redefining” initiative for low-enrollment schools, an accompanying executive summary says.
Per a proposed organizational chart, the district’s highest-paid executives aren’t slated for cuts.
“We are grateful for their service and the lasting impact they have made on our students and schools,” Broward County Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn said in a statement, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“These decisions are driven by sustained declining enrollment and the resulting loss of funding. The proposed organizational chart reflects the need to responsibly align resources while protecting classrooms and continuing to serve our students and community for years to come.”
Broward County Public Schools did not respond to the Pembroke Pines News’ request for comment on April 16.
Affected employees were informed in mid-April, instead of the usual late May or June, giving them extra time to plan before their contracts end on June 30. BCPS says it will offer “employment resource sessions” to help workers navigate benefits, re-employment rights, workforce transition services and career counseling.
Notices were part of the district’s larger reduction plan to cut 856 positions, most of which are vacant, in the 2027 fiscal year.
In addition to the 300 workers being terminated, 159 positions left vacant due to attrition and BCPS’ hiring freeze, as well as 344 positions that were planned but never funded, are part of the streamlining process the district says will save approximately $45 million.
Cuts will continue through August, with BCPS adding that a new “staffing methodology” will likely identify an extra 200 positions that need to be reduced, aligning with Hepburn’s plan to reduce up to 3,000 jobs within the next three years.
Projected enrollment declines could also mean 300 fewer teacher positions next school year, per the district, adding these cuts would be separate from the proposed organizational realignment, which mostly affects non-teaching roles.
Some jobs will be spared, however, with BCPS saying there will be “new and repurposed roles across Academics, Operations, Communications, Data Analytics, Human Resources, Student Services, Safety & Security, and Finance.”
According to John Sullivan, the district’s chief of staff, BCPS “is creating new lower-paid positions, so a director may be moved to an assistant director,” the Sun Sentinel reported.
Employees can also apply to other positions and will be eligible for recall if their former positions open up, Sullivan told the publication.
