I am writing as a dedicated educator who has spent 26 years in the "trenches" of BCPS. I write this not just as an employee, but as a witness to the steady decline of the infrastructure and support systems that our students rely.

This chart is a total insult! None of the district’s highest-paid chief executives are slated for cuts. This stands in stark contrast to the reality of our classrooms, where we are consistently asked to "do more with less" without receiving a sustainable cost-of-living increase.
Every year, essential positions that directly serve students are eliminated, leading to ballooning class sizes and unsustainable demands on the remaining staff.

Teachers face intense criticism yet the chief executives responsible for egregious financial shortcomings continue to receive high-tier compensation. Offering teachers a 0.5% increase while maintaining top-heavy administrative costs is not just a policy failure; it is a moral one.
I urge the Board to reconsider the current budget priorities. Put the students first. You achieve this by supporting the people who stand in the trenches with them every single day.

True leadership requires making the difficult cuts at the top to ensure that the foundation—our classrooms—does not crumble.

Cut the fat from the top!!!

My name is Brandon Monse. I have taught music in BCPS for twenty years. I hold a master’s degree in music education, serve on the faculty of Broward College and FIU as a dual-enrollment lecturer, and have held state leadership roles in Florida music education.

Federally, music is a core academic area, and every Broward school should provide students access to quality, comprehensive music education.

That is why I am concerned about the proposed 2026–27 organizational chart. It places Music & Perf. Arts only at the Curriculum Supervisor level in Academics. But BCPS’s own job description gives that role districtwide responsibilities: improving K–12 music instruction, reviewing program effectiveness, determining whether curriculum is being implemented, coordinating school-based representatives, representing the district on music matters, and coordinating countywide music activities.
...That is a districtwide mandate without commensurate administrative authority. A curriculum role cannot by itself influence site-level staffing, scheduling, budgets, facilities, and program continuity.

BCPS public staffing data reflect why this matters. Districtwide, 64 school sites show no music teacher and 137 show only one. At the high school level, 12 campuses serving 21,748 students have a single music teacher, and all 12 of those schools are band-only. That means choral and orchestral instruction are concentrated at far fewer schools, leaving many students without meaningful access to vocal music or orchestra. Middle schools are also being shortchanged, where one-teacher programs are overwhelmingly band-only, narrowing access to choral and orchestral study at the very point when students should be building those pathways to HS programs.

I urge the Board to require an administrative music leadership position in the final organizational chart, within Academics, with authority to work with principals and help ensure that students in every district school have access to comprehensive music education. As BCPS navigates financial hardship, that kind of leadership is *more* important, not less. A district of this size and importance should offer music programming that is broad, stable, and worthy of its students.

My name is Marnie Chapman-Lang, and I’ve served as a school social worker in Broward County Public Schools for the past three years. I’m here to express my concern about the proposed elimination of 24 school social worker positions.

Every day, I work with students facing mental health challenges, crises, and instability at home. We are often the first line of support when a student is struggling, and we stay involved to help prevent situations from escalating.

Right now, caseloads already exceed recommended ratios. Reducing positions will only increase that burden, leading to slower crisis response, fewer opportunities for early intervention, and less support for the students who need it most.

I am also concerned about what this means for the district’s commitment to student mental health. Families trust that these supports will be there for their children.

I urge you to carefully consider the impact of these cuts and to prioritize the services that directly support students’ well-being and success.

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,
Marnie Chapman-Lang

My name is Melanie Birken, and I have served as a school social worker in Broward County Public Schools since 1999. I am writing to express serious concern regarding the proposed elimination of 24 school social worker positions, including colleagues who were recently hired. While I understand that this is a workshop for discussion and not a final vote, I urge the Board to carefully consider the impact this proposal would have before moving forward.
For more than 25 years, I have worked directly with students and families navigating mental health crises, trauma, homelessness, chronic absenteeism, family instability, and safety concerns. School social workers are often the professionals responding first when a student is in crisis and are responsible for ongoing interventions that prevent issues from escalating.
Reducing school social work staffing will result in delayed crisis response, fewer attendance and truancy interventions, reduced family engagement, and limited capacity for early intervention. These impacts will be felt most by students with the greatest needs and by schools already managing high caseloads and complex challenges.
I am also deeply concerned that these proposed reductions conflict with commitments already made by the District and its voters, including the voter‑approved mental health portion of the Secure the Next Generation Referendum. Families supported these initiatives with the expectation that mental health services in schools would be strengthened—not reduced.
This workshop provides an important opportunity to pause, think critically, and explore alternatives that do not reduce direct student mental health supports. I respectfully ask the Board to fully consider the long‑term consequences of these proposed cuts and to engage school social workers in identifying solutions that align with student needs and community expectations.
Decisions discussed at this table affect real children, real families, and real lives. I urge you to choose protection, prevention, and support as these conversations continue.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to Broward County’s students.
Respectfully,
Melanie Birken