FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Following several hours of grueling discussions over a plan that could cut thousands of jobs from Broward County Public Schools, board members decided to postpone the vote.<\/p>\n
As the district faces staggering drops in enrollment numbers, Broward Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn\u2019s proposed organizational chart offers changes to be made to downsize operations and staffing to better accommodate students still attending public schools.<\/p>\n
At the end of Tuesday\u2019s meeting that was extended by an additional two hours, board members ultimately decided to shelve the vote on the proposal until after another workshop can be held to further discuss the topic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are difficult decisions. We\u2019re talking about downsizing by 800 to 1,000 positions. There\u2019s a lot of uncertainty of people who are impacted by these decisions. I expect the advocacy of people coming to the board room to advocate for their jobs and their positions and I expect the board to react based on that advocacy,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, several attendees voiced concerns over the plan, which would potentially seek to cut up to 1,000 jobs per year over the course of three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI support the motion. There is just so much confusion and I keep hearing that we need to move this along, move this along. These are all positions below the line. This sounds like excuse to push this forward, rush it and cut the positions at the bottom and save the positions at the top,\u201d said one speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would ask you to think about other ways that you can save money. It\u2019s not just about cutting people \u2014 it\u2019s also about stopping with all these programs you\u2019re buying, the licensing, the stuff the teachers don\u2019t want,\u201d said another speaker.<\/p>\n
Members of the board were split on how they felt about the superintendent\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, quite frankly, cannot pass this dumpster fire tonight,\u201d said Broward Schools board member Adam Cervera.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that it\u2019s important that we pass the organizational chart,\u201d said Broward Schools board member Rebecca Thompson.<\/p>\n
They did acknowledge it\u2019s crucial for the board to take action after tanking enrollment numbers have heavily impacted the district\u2019s revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll large school districts are going through this same exact thing that we are and everybody has to make those tough decisions on how we actually balance our budgets,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n