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Broward School Board To Discuss Budget Cuts

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - Tough budget cuts are on the agenda for Tuesday's Broward School Board workshop.

During the afternoon meeting, which is open to the public, board members will discuss ways to cut nearly $115 million from next year's budget. Teacher furloughs, longer school days combined with a shorter school year and layoffs have all been proposed in the past. Earlier this month the Broward Teacher's Union released a report compiled by the union and the School Board of Broward County finance committee which identifies $60 million in potential cuts from the district's budget.

Union officials say they hope Superintendent Jim Notter implements the budget cutting options outlined in the report so the district can give employees a pay increase after two years of no raises, save student programs and "bring equity to cuts that up to now have primarily focused on laying off teachers, eliminating student programs and decreasing classroom instructional equipment and supplies," according to a statement by the BTU.

Among the money-saving items listed in report are completely closing down the district during the Thanksgiving Holiday week and adjoining other holiday weekends in order save millions of tax dollars on utilities, transportation and cafeteria costs; reducing the summer schedules of most, but not all, assistant principals the same as teachers who already had their extended calendars reduced and enforcing a pay freeze for district employees who earn more $100 thousand.

Board members have said in the past they would try to preserve as many academic programs as they could in considering where the cuts should take place.

Before they get down to the budget, however, Board members will discuss a couple of recommendations made in a scathing Grand Jury report which cited incidents of mismanagement and incompetence.

Among the items up for discussion will be a suggestion that the Board be reduced to only five members and whether the next Superintendent should be elected instead of appointed.

Notter has previously announced that he will step down on June 30th.

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