PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV is staying on top of the budget at the School District of Palm Beach County after we listened to educators and learned that their peers have been let go.
The School District of Palm Beach County confirmed Thursday it has cut 244 positions following this year's student enrollment count, the latest sign of the financial pressure district leaders have repeatedly tied to declining enrollment and shrinking state funding.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teacher pay talks begin amid 7,000-student enrollment drop
In a statement provided to WPTV, the district confirmed that after the annual 11-day enrollment count, it lost hundreds of positions across multiple job categories.
"Following the 11-day student enrollment count this school year, the District lost 214 teacher positions, 24 support staff positions, and 6 administrators," the district said. "We are currently working to reassign these impacted employees to available vacant roles."
The staffing reductions come as the district continues grappling with enrollment and financial pressures that WPTV has been tracking for months. In previous WPTV reporting on both the district's enrollment challenges and the upcoming referendum vote, school leaders warned that declining student counts could have major consequences for budgets, staffing and teacher pay.
According to a statement the district provided to WPTV on Aug. 26, enrollment in district-operated K-12 schools fell by 5,990 students compared to the previous school year.
"According to our 11-day count conducted on Monday, August 24, K-12 enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year District-operated schools decreased by 5,990 students (a 3.78% reduction) compared to our 11-day count conducted for the 2025-2026 school year," the district said.
The district also reported a decline among charter schools.
"K-12 enrollment for charter schools also declined 969 students (a 4.51% reduction)," the district said. "As is standard practice each year, we are currently realigning staffing levels to reflect enrollment."
District officials said they are examining several factors behind the losses.
"We are investigating the factors that have contributed to this, which include regional demographic changes, a declining birth rate, the rising cost of living in Palm Beach County, and the expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship program."
To help offset the loss of funding associated with fewer students, the district announced a hiring freeze.
"We will be implementing a hiring hold to help mitigate the reduction in funding due to this enrollment drop," the district said. "Additional reductions in our budget will occur during the development of the Fiscal Year 2028 budget."
In previous WPTV reporting, Superintendent Mike Burke said the district expected enrollment to decline by about 2,900 students this year.
"Our best forecast is that we'll be down about 2,900 this year," Burke told WPTV in August.
Instead, district figures ultimately showed K-12 enrollment declined by 6,959 students across district-operated and charter schools, more than double that projection.
Burke previously told WPTV the district was facing a budget impact approaching $100 million because of declining enrollment, which is expected to be higher, since the enrollment drop was larger than anticipated.
"The budget and enrollment go together in lockstep," Burke said. "We are funded on a per-student basis and when the enrollment goes down, the money goes down."
The enrollment decline has already led to staffing reductions across the district.
In June, WPTV reported that 76 media clerks had lost their jobs as the district worked to balance its budget amid declining enrollment and rising personnel costs. At the time, district projections showed 192 teacher positions, 19 administrator positions and 43 office assistant positions could also be at risk.
Former media clerk Tami Slater described the uncertainty many employees were facing after learning her position had been eliminated following 25 years with the district.
"Oh, yes, I was planning on five to eight more years and I was going to retire. Now, I can't retire," Slater told WPTV in June.
Slater called the news devastating.
"It was very devastating. I had to take it all in; I'm still wrapping my head around it. It's a big impact. I believe they really need the media clerks," she said.
School Board Member Gloria Branch also warned about difficult choices as district leaders debated teacher raises earlier this year.
"I don't want to lose anybody. This is serious stuff," Branch said at the time.
For Slater, the toughest part was leaving behind the students she had worked with over the years.
"I feel really bad about that, because I really connected with a lot of them," she told WPTV. "They will miss me and I will miss them."
WPTV reached back out to Slater after learning about the new loss of educators; she informed WPTV she is actively in the process of getting a new job in the district.
The district says it is working to place impacted employees into vacant positions where possible, similar to what it pledged to do for employees affected by previous staffing cuts.
Despite the enrollment decline, Burke said the district is not considering school closures.
When asked whether Palm Beach County could face school closures like other Florida districts, Burke told WPTV, "No, we're trying to utilize our resources; we've been able to avoid that. We've actually opened some new schools because in Palm Beach County we still have parts of the county that are growing rapidly."
Instead, the district plans to shift teachers and staff where they are needed most while relying on a hiring freeze to offset funding losses tied to enrollment.
"We need better funding," Burke said.
The district's staffing challenges have extended beyond enrollment-driven reductions.
In July, WPTV reported that 19 School District of Palm Beach County employees lost their jobs after Temporary Protected Status protections for Haitians expired. According to information provided by the district, the positions included one teacher, three substitute teachers, three school bus drivers, three custodians, five food service assistants and several other support roles.
The staffing losses came as the district was already grappling with declining enrollment and budget pressures.
At the time, Dwyer High School teacher Elizabeth Holmes told WPTV she was concerned about the impact on students and families.
"It'll be a big shock when students are not at school," Holmes said.
Holmes also worried some students could be forced to leave the country with family members.
"My biggest concern is we already have students who are living on their own, because their parents have already been deported," she told WPTV. "I feel like more students are going to lose their parents or we're going to lose a lot of students."
Those enrollment losses are unfolding as district leaders campaign for the renewal of the school district's 1-mill property tax referendum, which appears on the November ballot.
District leaders say the referendum generates more than $200 million annually for schools. Approximately half of that funding supports teacher salaries, while the remainder helps pay for choice programs, mental health resources and school security.
In a separate WPTV report ahead of the November vote, Burke explained how closely teacher pay is tied to the measure.
"Half of that levy goes straight to teacher pay and we call it referendum supplements," Burke told WPTV.
Under the referendum, teachers receive additional compensation based on experience. Teachers with one year of experience receive an additional $1,000 annually, educators with five to nine years of experience receive an additional $5,000, and teachers with 10 or more years of experience receive an additional $10,000.
For many educators, that funding has become a critical part of their compensation.
"This money really helps teachers tremendously," Jupiter Elementary teacher Alicia Carr previously told WPTV.
Like many teachers, Carr said the issue goes beyond the paycheck.
"No one goes into teaching for the money, but you want to be able to live," Carr said.
Carr said losing the supplemental pay would have a significant effect on teachers across the district.
"I don't know. I've already cut so much, I don't know where to cut," Carr told WPTV when asked what losing the funding would mean.
She added, "Even with our raise, it's still a struggle, so losing this $10,000 would be astronomical for many people."
Despite the enrollment decline and resulting staffing losses, district officials continue to emphasize the value of district-operated schools.
"As an 'A' rated school district that consistently outperforms local charter schools, District-operated schools continue to serve as the best choice for families in Palm Beach County," the district said. "We're proud to offer top-tier choice and career programs, high-quality academic instruction led by certified staff, and comprehensive extracurricular and athletic opportunities."
The latest staffing reductions follow warnings made earlier this year as the district worked to close budget gaps.
In a statement provided to WPTV in May, district officials said, "The School District of Palm Beach County is currently working to identify areas for reduction to balance the budget."
The district added, "Given the planned budget reductions, the School District does anticipate position eliminations and subsequent layoffs. Impacted employees are being notified over the coming weeks."
At the time, officials said the full scope of the reductions had not yet been finalized.
"The total number and types of positions are still being determined as department and school budgets are reduced," the district said. "Position reductions are expected to continue through October 2026 as budgets are aligned to enrollment."
The district has not announced whether additional positions will be eliminated beyond those already identified this school year, but previously indicated staffing adjustments could continue through October as budgets are aligned with enrollment figures.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
