The Sarasota school district is cutting 136 teacher jobs as it faces a financial crunch due to shrinking enrollment along with higher costs for health insurance and utilities.
The teachers that remain may see their paychecks shrink, as the district will now charge $200 per month for its top tier PPO plan, which used to be free, and cut extra pay for teachers who work in high-need areas.
Some of the actions are due to federal relief money from the COVID pandemic that has run out, Sarasota school superintendent Terry Connor explained in a workshop this month.
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Other factors include trends like declining birthrates and more parents taking advantage of Florida's state-funded scholarships for home and private school, which no longer are doled out according to income, but to anyone who applies.
"We have to be true to staffing at the appropriate levels based on student enrollment because that is where revenue is generated and 85 percent of our budget is staffing," Connor said.
"My seniors are like, I wouldn't be here, Miss Farnsworth, if it wasn't for you. I'm told that all the time."Julie Farnsworth, Sarasota High School graphics design teacher
Connor said school staffing will decrease by 6%, while district administrative jobs will decrease by 14%. Over the past two years, administrative staffing across the county has already been reduced by approximately 20%, according to a district website.
But for Julie Farnsworth, a graphics design teacher at Sarasota High, the cuts are both heartbreaking and a hardship, because they target mainly first- and second-year teachers, like herself.
"We all have student loans," she said. "I've done 140 hours of continuing education in the last two years, and now if they don't let me stay for one more year, I don't even get my teaching certificate that I've completed all the courses for," she said.
Farnsworth said she received notice that her job would end June 30, and its unclear who will replace her next year. She said she teaches 120 students per day.
"My seniors are like, I wouldn't be here, Miss Farnsworth, if it wasn't for you. I'm told that all the time," she said.
Federal relief money that was made available after the COVID pandemic began in 2020 has run out, the district said.
"Many of these positions were added using temporary federal funds to help with student learning loss and help us respond to emerging needs across our schools," Connor said. "But with those funds no longer available, we need to work towards matching our recurring staffing expenses with recurring revenues to maintain financial stability."
Staffing peaked at 6,437 employees in recent years, according to Connor, and is being reduced to align with student numbers that are similar to a decade ago.
"In 2016-17, we had 36,699 students and 5,370 employees. "For 2026-27, we expect 36,648 students and 5,853 employees," Connor said.
Certain health plans, including the HMO and lower level PPO, will continue to be offered to teachers at no cost.
Other pay changes affect supplemental money that teachers receive. Those in Title I schools now get a yearly pay boost of $1,200, instead of $3,000 previously. Those who manage special learning plans known as IEPs will see the same drop.
Starting the fall, teachers of ESE (exceptional student education) students at Title I schools will get $1,500 per year, down from $6,000 previously.
