Broward County School Board votes to cut 300 jobs, eliminate 700 vacant positions to address $90 million budget deficit

The Broward School Board Monday voted to approve cutting 1,000 jobs to help with a multimillion-dollar deficit because of declining enrollment.

Most of the jobs, 700 of them, are vacant positions. But 300 workers will now be unemployed.

The school board said it will try and help those individuals transfer to other jobs.

The cuts do not affect school-based teaching positions, but impact school counselors, social workers, support staff for special education teachers and administrative roles.

Opponents said the cuts will impact students.

"We should not worry about how we're going to pay our bills and worry about how we're going to support our students and families," social worker Melanie Birken.

The controversial move comes as Broward County Public Schools faces a $90 million budget deficit, driven largely by declining student enrollment.

"No one is happy," school board member Dr. Allen Zeman said. "The staff isn't 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."

The superintendent said this move will save the district $54 million and added that more cuts are expected.

The board's decision comes as school districts across the country grapple with declining enrollment and funding challenges in the wake of the pandemic.

The district says it is exploring additional measures to further reduce spending and balance the budget in the months ahead.