FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Broward County Public School counselor is coming to terms with the possibility of losing her job after school board members voted Monday on a revised plan that would eliminate hundreds of positions across the district.
After the school board’s meeting ran for several hours, Vanessa Matute told 7News she believes her job as a licensed mental health counselor is a likely casualty of the district’s struggle to adjust to shrinking revenue and sharply declining enrollment, as well as steep competition from private and charter schools.
She acknowledged board members faced a difficult decision, but firmly believes the district’s mental health professionals should be preserved.
“I do understand the board has a tough job, I do understand it’s hard to let people go. I do not agree with those people being mental health professionals, especially the ones who are every day with children,” said Matute.
Following hours of debate and months of delays, the board settled on a revised organizational chart in a 7-2 vote that is expected to save about $54 million while cutting 300 active district office positions and further eliminating another 700 unfilled positions across the district.
But earlier in the day, as was the case in recent meetings discussing BCPS Superintendent Howard Hepburn’s proposed organizational chart, several district employees pleaded with board members to protect their jobs.
“Vote no and rebuild faith in you,” said one BCPS employee.
“You wanna keep us as an ‘A’ district. So how do you do that? By keeping the people,” said a speaker.
“Stop striking out, stop pissing away the money to vendors when we have employees who could be doing it ourselves,” said another speaker.
Several speakers pushed for board members to instead look at cutting executive positions with high annual salaries.
“We need to start from the top,” said a speaker.
“The math isn’t mathing,” said a second speaker.
“Undervalued, disrespected and unappreciated,” said a third speaker.
Some board members aired frustrations over not being able to find a way forward.
“Nobody’s happy. Zero people are happy, no one’s happy. Staff’s not happy, the students aren’t happy, the parents aren’t happy, but we lost $225 million and what we have to do is put the best team on the field that we can,” said Dr. Allen Zeman.
Board member Adam Cervera asked his colleagues to vote against the proposal.
“What are we going to do to save Broward Schools? I can tell you where it starts right here: vote no,” said Cervera.
Cervera then added his own suggestions for the plan, which primarily included cutting several upper management positions.
“My motion is to cut the executive director of food and nutrition services. My motion is to cut the executive director of student transportation and fleet services,” said Cervera.
At least one of his proposed cuts gained enough support from fellow board members to be passed.
Some attendees at Monday’s meeting thanked Cervera for the proposals.
“Thank you for trying to cut from the top, which is what the public is asking for,” said a woman.
“Thank you, Mr. Cervera, for being courageous,” said a second woman.
After ultimately passing the revised version of Hepburn’s organizational chart, the superintendent emphasized there will be resources available for employees who are soon to be unemployed.
“As we expect every year, many vacancies, especially instructional vacancies, that the impacted district instructional staff already qualify for through their certifications, and then working with CareerSource Broward for anybody that doesn’t meet any qualifications or skill sets for other additional vacancies,” said Hepburn.
Hepburn also sought to calm worries that Monday’s decision would harm classrooms.
“This initiative does not impact schools. Schools naturally fluctuate with an impact on enrollment, so their schools will function the same as they have, hopefully with more enhanced programming from our Redefining Initiative,” said Hepburn.
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