Broward school board OKs sweeping cuts in budget-saving move. Here’s the latest
Broward school board members approved a plan Monday to eliminate 1,000 jobs by the 2026-2027 academic year as part of a cost-cutting solution to the district’s declining student enrollment.
In a nearly eight-hour meeting on May 11, Broward County Public Schools officials discussed an organizational chart that puts 300 filled and 700 vacant positions on the chopping block and is estimated to save approximately $54 million.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn was first prompted in March to devise a plan to cut up to 3,000 jobs over three years that would save BCPS approximately $250 million.
The school district has lost nearly 40,000 students in the past decade, including about 10,000 this school year, with another 10,000 projected next year. Since state funding is tied to enrollment, revenue has declined as student numbers dropped.
The vote for Hepburn’s latest chart was originally scheduled for May 19, but was moved up to give affected employees more notice.
“We need to make a final decision, so we can move forward, contact any newly impacted employees and start revving up the system to support our impacted employees,” Hepburn told the board.
The plan passed 7-2 with few changes. School board members Nora Rupert (District 7) and Adam Cervera (District 6) dissented.
At the center of debate was the chart’s elimination of student-facing, “director-level” positions that some board members, teachers and advocates believe spare BCPS’ highest-paid executives.
“Was our goal to protect the bigwigs in this building while screwing over the teachers and school-based staff?” Cervera posed to the board.
The District 6 board member posted a sign next to the dais that read, “Save Broward Schools. Vote Down the Org Chart.”
“I’m not OK with that. But if that was the goal, we nailed it. But for the record, that was never my intention and was never my goal,” Cervera said.
Positions that will see the most cuts include 35 instructional facilitators, 15 behavioral support teachers and 38 student support instructional specialists, which form part of the district’s mental health department.
Other jobs that will be eliminated include transportation workers and suicide prevention coordinators.
None of the BCPS “chief” positions are poised to be eliminated, per the organizational chart.
“You stated you’re not removing people that directly impact children. Lies. You said zero will be impacted. Lies. The truth shall set us all free,” Pachuska Vil, a school mental health counselor, said at the meeting. “You’re not speaking the truth. Just because a position is in district doesn’t mean they’re not impacting children.”
“You’re not going to see the impact now because they’re here,” added Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union. “You will see that impact will happen the first week of school. Mark my words.”
Cervera made several motions to chop roughly a half-dozen executive positions in areas such as food and nutrition, information technology, transportation and maintenance, though none passed.
School board members agreed to eliminate a vacant director of transportation position that Hepburn hadn’t originally recommended.
Affected employee concerns
Final notices to newly affected employees are set to go out starting May 12, with the district starting “placement conversations and vacancy alignment” soon after, according to a BCPS staffing reorganization plan.
The memo reads that 80-90% of those impacted are “expected to be qualified for projected openings,” including teacher positions that often have a high turnover rate.
“I just think it’s unfair, because I show so much loyalty to this district, and I don’t feel that I’m receiving that loyalty back,” said Sheena Newton, the assistant director of the district’s Business Support Center.
Newton, whose position was slated for elimination, has worked at BCPS for 29 years. She told board members she wouldn’t be able to put her kids through college if she lost her job.
“It really hurts me to my heart because I graduated from this district. Class of ‘89 at Dillard High School. I worked my way up in this district. ... I worked hard to get where I am today, and I feel like everything has been stripped away from me.”
Following public comment, board member Debra Hixon proposed a motion that would require BCPS to create an individual “next steps” plan for district employees five years or less away from retiring that ensures they’re able to complete their careers. It passed unanimously.
“Everyone who’s on that list has a personal story. It is their livelihood. This is not easy for anyone, but unfortunately, we find ourselves in this place, as many businesses do,” Hixon said. “You all saw what happened with Spirit Airlines. Poof. One day, all those people just lost their jobs. We don’t want to do that.”
