Dozens of Broward County Public Schools staff push back against proposed layoffs of over 300 employees

Dozens of counselors, support staff, and service workers packed the Broward school board room and spilled out into the hallway on Tuesday to voice concerns about proposed layoffs. The protests come after the district notified more than 300 employees last week that they could lose their jobs.

The district is dealing with an $80 million deficit because of dwindling enrollment and less state funding. The number of students attending Broward public schools is 40,000 fewer than a decade ago. The district lost 10,000 students this year and anticipates losing another 10,000 next year.

Cisco Oliviera, who fixes plumbing problems at district schools, told the board that his layoff notice arrived on his birthday. "I got my notice on my birthday. I'm expecting a kid in July. So go figure," he said. Oliviera noted that with his layoff, the backlog of plumbing problems will only get bigger.

Some board members said the dire financial situation requires the board to come up with a plan to trim the budget. Board member Jeff Holness stated, "We were slow to act over 10 to 15 years. Inaction is not an option".

While not agreeing with the cuts, board member Rebecca Thompson said, "Our school systems will break under the state model. You can't pay $500 worth of bills with $100 of funding". Board member Adam Cervera criticized the method of cuts, saying, "We skipped the top and picked off the rank and file".

Superintendent Howard Hepburn denied that claim. He said his staff takes the cutbacks seriously, and the decisions were difficult. "The cuts started at the top, not the bottom," Hepburn said. "Things have shifted. We cannot do the work the same anymore".

The board will vote on the cuts next Tuesday.