More than 1,400 Broward teachers losing their jobs

More than 1,400 teachers will be receiving letters Tuesday morning officially informing them that they won’t be coming back to their Broward County classrooms in August.

And hundreds of more will likely be laid off in the coming weeks as the school district grapples with a $140 million deficit.

The first to lose their jobs are those who have been with the school district for less than two years or those who signed a one-year contract this year. Those jobs were paid for by federal stimulus money that isn’t being renewed.

“It’s unfortunate we have to say goodbye to so many valuable teachers,’’ said School Board Member Jennifer Gottlieb, adding she was shocked by the number. “It’s a sign of the terrible budget situation we are in.’’

For months, the district has been slicing away at the budget, with officials saying they would do what they could to protect those in the classroom.

Between inflation, federal stimulus money running out and state cuts — which slashed student spending by about $540 per student — the district is looking at a $144 million shortfall from its $1.9 billion budget. District officials have said $81 million will likely come from schools.

Broward is not alone in its budget woes. The Miami-Dade district is facing a budget shortfall in the neighborhood of $85 million — far less than what district officials expected they would have to cut from the $4 billion budget.

Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has not yet said how he plans to plug the hole.

“We began our budget deliberations with two guiding principles: protect the classroom, that includes teachers, and begin the reductions at the administrative level,” Carvalho said.

For Broward, not renewing contracts is only the first step, district spokeswoman Marsy Smith wrote in an e-mail Monday. As the board and staff continue to balance the budget, more employees could be losing their jobs.

Last year, about 1,300 staffers were laid off — and less than half of those were teachers — but many were rehired after the district received the stimulus money from the federal government.

Those whose contracts will not be renewed will still finish out the school year. Future layoffs won’t come until June, after the district has completed going through the budget, Smith said.

In addition, the district is contemplating furloughs for all employees, and closing under-enrolled schools.

Despite the dark clouds, there might be a glimmer of hope for teachers in “critical’’ subject areas, such as chemistry and Calculus. If, after an inventory of jobs, the district determines it doesn’t have enough teachers in those subject areas, some of those receiving letters this week might be hired back, Smith said.

Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo said he was disappointed the district was eliminating so many teachers. He expects many would be attending Tuesday’s School Board meeting, begging the district to reconsider.

He added he thinks the district needs to consider other options such as consolidating district offices to save money instead of getting rid of personnel. “This is really going to impact the teachers and the students.”

Santeramo questioned how the district would be able to meet the class-size compliance law, which caps how many students can be in a classroom. This year, Broward was slapped with millions in fines because some of its classrooms had too many students per teacher.

But the district said because the state changed the law this year, making compliance mandatory only in core classes like math and language arts, it expects to legally be within the obligations of the law.

Broward teachers may not be the only ones losing their jobs with the district.

Jim Silvernale, a representative for the Federation of Public Employees, said he has heard from several members, including custodians, clerical staff and maintenance workers, who have been told they will not have a job next year. But Silvernale said with so much money coming out of the schools he knows there is no way around people being fired.

“It’s either teachers or clerical people or your custodial staff or security personnel in the school,’’ he said. “Those are the options.”

Principals have already been given a list of the teachers they won’t be allowed to rehire.

“This is really going to be toughest year of my entire career,’’ said South Plantation High Principal David Basile, who has been a principal for eight years. “We don’t get trained for this.’’

For one teacher, the district’s decision to not renew contracts was heartbreaking. April Shearer has been an eighth grade science teacher at Glades Middle School for two years and was told she would not have a job come next fall.

“I feel like Broward County is making all the wrong decisions at the expense of our kids and teachers,’’ Shearer said.

The mother of two said she moved to Broward County two years ago when her husband, who is in the military, was transferred to South Florida. She had worked in Brevard County for three years and before that as a military instructor.

“There is absolutely no job security,’’ she said, saying she will have to begin looking for another job. “My benefits end June 30. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Miami Herald staff writer Kathleen McGrory contributed to this report.
Miami Herald