Earlier this year, Sun Sentinel Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet wrote about a “crisis of confidence” surrounding the Broward County School Board. While debates over governance and accountability continue, another crisis is unfolding every day in our schools: Too many of the people we depend on to educate and support our children can no longer afford to live on what they earn.
This November, Broward voters will decide whether to renew the one-mill property tax referendum that supports school safety, mental health services and employee compensation. Yet in conversations with parents, educators and neighbors across Broward, I continue to encounter voters who know very little about the referendum or what is at stake if it fails.
Roberto Fernandez III is a candidate for Broward School Board District 6. (courtesy, Roberto Fernandez III)
That needs to change. The school district and our labor organizations must come together now around a visible, coordinated effort to educate voters about why this referendum matters.
For many Broward educators, the compensation funded through this referendum is not a bonus or extra spending money. It can mean thousands of dollars each year that help determine whether they can afford to continue doing the work they love while living in South Florida.
I know because I have spent 22 years teaching in Broward classrooms.
A former colleague of mine teaches full-time five days a week and then works at a hospital from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. three nights a week. She does it because she is a single parent with children in college and needs the additional income to make ends meet.
Her story is not unusual. As I talk with educators throughout our community, I hear again and again from teachers and school employees working second and even third jobs just to keep a roof over their heads.
We cannot accept that as normal.
When experienced educators leave because they can no longer afford to stay, our students pay the price. Competitive compensation helps Broward recruit and retain the talented teachers and education professionals our children deserve. Losing experienced educators means losing years of knowledge, relationships and expertise that cannot simply be replaced with another name on a classroom roster.
Renewing the referendum is the immediate challenge, but it cannot be our long-term solution.
My goal is to move Broward County Public Schools toward a fiscal position where we can provide educators a 10% recurring raise through the district’s operating budget. That will require disciplined budgeting, responsible oversight and a School Board willing to examine where every dollar is being spent and prioritize the people working directly with our students.
Until we get there, however, the referendum is essential.
The School Board’s decision to dedicate 90% of these referendum dollars directly to teachers, education professionals and frontline support staff recognizes where our priorities should be. Now, we need to make sure Broward voters understand exactly what is at stake in November.
This is about more than a tax referendum. It is about whether Broward can keep great educators in our classrooms, support the people who care for our children every day and build a school system where talented professionals can afford to make education their career, not one of two or three jobs they need simply to survive.
Our educators have spent years showing up for Broward’s children. This November, Broward needs to show up for them.
Roberto Fernandez III is a 22-year Broward County Public Schools teacher, U.S. Army veteran, father of BCPS students, and candidate for Broward County School Board, District 6.