hundreds of county employees were informed their jobs were in jeopardy<\/a>, dozens criticized the board\u2019s proposed plan during a commission meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\u201cThe board is paying today\u2019s bills with tomorrow\u2019s damage. It\u2019s a Ponzi scheme,\u201d said a speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeeds are not being met already. These cuts are delusional and would erode enrollment even more,\u201d said a second speaker.<\/p>\n
Many guest speakers at the meeting expressed their displeasure at the disruption the cost-cutting move would cause in their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose students, school staff, and school-based supports first,\u201d said a third speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a travesty, this is deplorable, this is unacceptable,\u201d said another speaker.<\/p>\n
Despite harsh criticism, the board was insistent that the district\u2019s workforce downsizing was a necessary move to address the budget deficit caused by plummeting enrollment.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs enrollment declines, so does our funding,\u201d said Broward Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are currently experiencing an $80 million shortfall,\u201d said Commissioner Jeff Holness.<\/p>\n
The district\u2019s proposed plan calls for cutting 1,000 jobs per year over the next three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposal is about right-sizing our organization, aligning our staffing and structure with the students we serve today. Not the system we had 10 years ago,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n
Among those tentatively eliminated ahead of next school year are school counselors, social workers, transportation, and clerical employees. Many of them have already received notifications of their pending termination.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have to go to bare bones model of management so that we could pour the majority of our funding into our actual school sites, this is something that we must do,\u201d said Commissioner Rebecca Thompson.<\/p>\n
Some commissioners opposed the plan, arguing it favors eliminating low-level employees while shielding executive positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like it. I don\u2019t agree with it, and I don\u2019t support it,\u201d said Commissioner Adam Cervera. \u201cThis plan that we have disproportionately impacts our lower-level staff while sparing top-level administrators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others insisted those cuts could soon follow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reflection of those cuts are 16% executive directors and directors,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think there needs to be some more cuts at the higher levels, but the idea that most of the cuts are gonna come from the top, they\u2019re just not \u2014 you could cut everybody, you\u2019d have 100 people,\u201d said Commissioner Debra Hixon.<\/p>\n
As the school board works out a more definitive plan, it\u2019s clear they expect to implement extensive job cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must change, and this is a good first step,\u201d said Commissioner Allen Zeman.<\/p>\n
Commissioners are expected to vote on a final plan to address budget concerns during their meeting next Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n
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