TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Leon County Schools is expecting to cut dozens of positions as they face a budget deficit for the upcoming school year, according to district officials.
LCS Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in an interview Wednesday that the district expects to be short $12.5 million compared to the 2024-2025 school year. His statement follows a discussion on the financial shortfalls Tuesday evening during a school board meeting.
"I've never seen it this bad before," Hanna said. "This is going to present for us the greatest logistical challenge we've had since the COVID crisis of 2020."
The district said it is attempting to prevent the cuts from impacting student education by eliminating roles from administration and after-school programs. In total, LCS will do away with 50 to 60 jobs, according to Hanna.
The superintendent said the deficit is two-pronged: $6.3 million is the result of a federal funding freeze, and another $6.2 million resulted from a loss in student enrollment and rising costs in services.
School district leaders said they are going to try to fill open positions with the staff whose roles are being dissolved. Overall, LCS said it will try to keep as many employees as possible, even if it means moving them to other departments or positions.
"We will find a way to weather the storm," Hanna said. "We're going to do the best we can to eliminate positions and make cuts on Pensacola Street. We will hold the classroom harmless for as long as we possibly can."
Leon Classroom Teachers Association (LCTA) President Scott Mazur said the union knows that cuts happen every year, but they hope that teachers and student education will be prioritized.
"That means you have to invest in your teachers, have to invest in your educators. So even when there are times where there seem to be some shortfalls or changes, it doesn't change what your choices should be to prioritize students, that's to keep the best teachers in the classroom," Mazur said.
Mazur said that it is also up to the community to help invoke changes.
"The good thing about all this is they're not permanent choices, we have the ability to organize and get behind the things that we really care about."
LCS said that they have been holding meetings with LCTA and will continue to do so over the next few weeks.
Superintendent Hanna emphasized that he is doing everything he can to make sure students and staff are taken care of but he shared that this is a hard situation with tough decisions that must be made.