FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Nearly 300 Broward County Public Schools jobs may be on the chopping block for next school year amid an ongoing budget crunch.
The school district said the move will impact 1,000 jobs —800 of which are currently vacant —and they call it a bold, but necessary, measure to save money.
Venice Jackson said she was shocked when she received the notification that her job may no longer exist come the fall.
“I’m the breadwinner so me not having a job and owning a house with a mortgage that’s $3,000 a month, this is going to have a great financial impact on me and my family,” said Jackson.
The cuts are the first in a series of staff firings the school board is implementing to reduce a large budget deficit.
At a public meeting back in February, School Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn outlined the crisis.
“We have a current funding shortfall of about $80 million, and we expect an additional budget shortfall of almost $90 million next year,” said Hepburn.
Officials said it’s no secret they’ve struggled to maintain the current budget, due in large part to a significant drop in enrollment.
Under the school district’s current plan, 1,000 jobs will be cut each year for the next three years.
This latest notification was sent out to counselors, social workers, transportation, maintenance, and clerical positions across the county.
Broward School Board Member Debra Hixon said fewer students means less funding.
“If you decrease your student enrollment by over 12,000 students; yes, you still want those students, but there are less students to serve so you would need less of those positions. That’s the premise that those changes are being made on,” she said.
However, Hixon did acknowledge the impact this will have on families across the district.
“This really impacts people, and it hurts my heart to have to be able to go through this, but unfortunately, it’s where we find ourselves,” she said.
But Anna Fusco, the president of the Broward Teachers Union, said these cuts are drastic.
“There’s multiple companies out there that need to cut to make some budgets, but not this drastic. When there’s something that’s this drastic, it’s not the employee’s fault. I didn’t see that great cut at the top. That didn’t happen,” she said.
District officials said this is not a 100% done deal, and some people may be shifted into other positions. That topic will be discussed in an upcoming meeting on Tuesday.
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