FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Following several hours of grueling discussions over a plan that could cut thousands of jobs from Broward County Public Schools, board members decided to postpone the vote.
As the district faces staggering drops in enrollment numbers, Broward Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn’s proposed organizational chart offers changes to be made to downsize operations and staffing to better accommodate students still attending public schools.
At the end of Tuesday’s meeting that was extended by an additional two hours, board members ultimately decided to shelve the vote on the proposal until after another workshop can be held to further discuss the topic.
“These are difficult decisions. We’re talking about downsizing by 800 to 1,000 positions. There’s a lot of uncertainty of people who are impacted by these decisions. I expect the advocacy of people coming to the board room to advocate for their jobs and their positions and I expect the board to react based on that advocacy,” said Hepburn.
Earlier in the day, several attendees voiced concerns over the plan, which would potentially seek to cut up to 1,000 jobs per year over the course of three years.
“I support the motion. There is just so much confusion and I keep hearing that we need to move this along, move this along. These are all positions below the line. This sounds like excuse to push this forward, rush it and cut the positions at the bottom and save the positions at the top,” said one speaker.
“I would ask you to think about other ways that you can save money. It’s not just about cutting people — it’s also about stopping with all these programs you’re buying, the licensing, the stuff the teachers don’t want,” said another speaker.
Members of the board were split on how they felt about the superintendent’s proposal.
“We, quite frankly, cannot pass this dumpster fire tonight,” said Broward Schools board member Adam Cervera.
“I do think that it’s important that we pass the organizational chart,” said Broward Schools board member Rebecca Thompson.
They did acknowledge it’s crucial for the board to take action after tanking enrollment numbers have heavily impacted the district’s revenue.
“All large school districts are going through this same exact thing that we are and everybody has to make those tough decisions on how we actually balance our budgets,” said Hepburn.
The members have discussed the topic several times in recent weeks, including last week, where several employees criticized the proposal after hundreds of county employees were informed that their jobs were in jeopardy.
While the path forward remains unclear, the majority of the board ultimately decided they need more time to talk about the proposal before any final vote can be tallied.
“It was a win that we got people to understand that there is a lot of things that are not clear, and when you want to move forward, talking about laying off up to 1,000 employees, it doesn’t matter what positions you are in and the uncertainty when you’ve got a community saying ‘we’re confused,'” said Broward Teachers Union president Anna Fusco.
The district’s workshop to continue discussions on the proposed organizational chart is scheduled for May 11. The board is then expected to make a final decision on May 19.
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