Brevard County schools budget plan cuts teachers, taxes

Property-tax rate falls in proposed budget; final OK due in Sept.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Brevard School Board approved a proposed tax rate and budget Thursday evening that is expected to reduce property taxes on most homes and cut more than 300 teaching positions.

Local 6 news partner Florida Today reports as part of $25 million in previously announced budget cuts, roughly one in 20 school district jobs are being eliminated – in total, about 480 jobs. The final budget is expected to be approved in September.

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Since 2007-08, the school district has cut more than 1,000 positions — nearly one in nine jobs. The comparison does not include Brevard's new role administrating the federally funded Head Start preschool program.

While 11 percent of positions have been cut, student enrollment has declined at a slower pace, by just more than 5 percent, or 3,800 students.

Cuts this year have ranged from closing schools to cutting busing to choice schools and requiring middle and high school teachers to instruct six out of seven periods instead of five.

Next year's proposed operating budget totals $541 million, up nearly $6 million from last school year. In part, that's due to a state increase in teacher pay and an expected enrollment increase of 200 students. Many will attend charter schools, meaning their per-student allocation will flow though the district to the publicly funded but privately run schools.


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