By Joanne Clark\u00b7Thursday, October 15, 2026\u00b72 min read<\/p>\n
Jamaican American school administrator Jennifer Andreu has been fired by the Broward County School Board following an investigation into the district\u2019s laptop procurement process that found she and other employees mismanaged the process and misled board members.<\/p>\n
The board voted 6-3 on Tuesday to terminate Andreu, who served as the school district\u2019s executive director of operations from 2023 to early 2026. Board members Adam Cervera, Jeff Holness and Nora Rupert voted against the termination.<\/p>\n
The decision came despite pleas for leniency from supporters who addressed the board, arguing that Andreu had done nothing to warrant her dismissal. Andreu has denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
The Broward Office of Inspector General released its investigation on Sept. 30 after examining three efforts to select vendors for laptop purchases and deployment. The report concluded that, while Andreu and some other employees \u201cdid not engage in misconduct or gross mismanagement, they mismanaged the procurement process and, in the course of doing so, misled the School Board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andreu was moved from her operations role to a position overseeing economic development and compliance earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Superintendent defends disciplinary action<\/p>\n
During his superintendent\u2019s report on Tuesday, before the board discussed Andreu\u2019s employment, Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the inspector general\u2019s findings highlighted significant problems that the district needed to address.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe concerns identified in this report are unacceptable, and we are taking action. Public trust is earned through our actions, not simply our words,\u201d Hepburn told the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny employee found to have knowingly misled the School Board, violated district policies, or broken the law will face swift and appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
During the discussion, board member Jeff Holness questioned the decision-making process.<\/p>\n
\u201cRush decision or a harsh decision?\u201d Holness asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a rush or a harsh decision,\u201d Hepburn responded.<\/p>\n
Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco also challenged the process used to terminate Andreu, arguing that the district had not followed proper procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis due process was not done accurately, it was not done right,\u201d Fusco said while addressing the board.<\/p>\n
Andreu considers appeal<\/p>\n
Speaking to the South Florida Sun Sentinel after the meeting, Andreu said she was disappointed by the board\u2019s decision and was considering her options to challenge the termination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m deeply disappointed by the board\u2019s decision,\u201d Andreu said. \u201cI did nothing to warrant termination and stand by my nearly 30 years of public service and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
She told the newspaper that she was reviewing options to \u201ccontinue defending my reputation,\u201d including appealing the decision to Florida\u2019s Division of Administrative Hearings.<\/p>\n
The termination follows months of scrutiny over the district\u2019s laptop procurement efforts and raises questions about accountability in the management of public education resources.<\/p>\n
Andreu maintains that she did not engage in conduct warranting dismissal, while district leadership has said disciplinary action is necessary to address the concerns identified by the inspector general.<\/p>\n
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