Standing atop a podium with a thin white baton in one hand, Audrey Naffe gestured grandly as she summoned and shaped a crescendo of harmonies from a couple dozen of young musicians practicing for their spring concert.
Her eyes wide, she occasionally shouted out directions, and signaled to raise or lower the volume with her left hand as she conducted in Pine View’s middle school orchestra through popular tunes like “A Million Dreams” from the movie The Greatest Showman.
“She made orchestra insanely fun this entire year,” said Laura Bovkun-Grytsencko, a seventh grader who, along with classmates Claire Wolfgang and Samira Addae, set their instruments aside and ran to the stage to sing the words to “My Shot,” from the Broadway musical Hamilton, as their orchestra mates played on.
Job cuts throughout the Sarasota County school district hit middle school teachers particularly hard, especially those with less than two years of teaching experience. Naffe learned in recent months that she was among 136 teachers whose jobs were not renewed for next year.
“I was absolutely devastated,” said Naffe, 36, an accomplished viola player who has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Venice Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra and Sarasota Opera.
ALSO READ: The Sarasota teacher's union has a new president amid teacher cuts
Teaching was a new direction for her, when she was hired to teach orchestra at Pine View, a grade 2-12 gifted magnet in Osprey that is one of the top ranked schools in the nation.
“I had all these ambitions, and I was working over 12-hour days. I was told the program was strong, and it is,” said Naffe. “So, the thought of just not being here and working with them, after all this hard work, it’s really sad."
The district had to make do with less money. Enrollment is down, because the birth rate is declining. Also, more parents are taking advantage of vouchers for private or homeschool, which the state now offers without limits on family income. And costs across the district are up for expenses like health insurance and utilities.
Children lined up to talk to a reporter about what Naffe has meant to them.
“Either give her a raise or at least just keep her,” said Levi Wallace, a sixth grade violinist.
“Our previous teacher had retired last year, and now we're losing another teacher, and it really just puts all of our learning in jeopardy,” said Claudia Brand, a seventh grader who plays double bass.
“She’s a great teacher. The orchestra had talent, but it was kind of raw and she helped shape it into something beautiful,” said seventh grade viola player Charles Pacut.
Sarasota superintendent Terry Connor has said hoped to find work for all the laid-off teachers elsewhere in the district, as some retire and others move away. But as school came to a close in late May, many local teachers who lost their positions still don’t know what next year holds for them.
As of May 21, documents obtained in a public records request from the Sarasota school district show 85 instructional staff have not been reassigned to other jobs in the district.
That includes 15 elementary school teachers, plus 14 in middle or high school math, 11 in science, eight in language arts, five Spanish and three PE teachers, as well as gifted teachers, literacy coaches, counselors, and one assistant principal.
Even getting a reassignment doesn't always mean the skills are a match. Naffe, for instance, was offered a job in another school, but it was teaching chorus, which is not her specialty. She turned it down.
ALSO READ: Sarasota County Schools to cut teachers as vouchers divert millions from district
While Sarasota is cutting jobs, Manatee is hiring for hundreds of school positions right now, especially in Parrish and Lakewood Ranch.
"Fortunate or unfortunate, every time you turn around, there's a new gated community going up. So, you know, we're just doing our best to keep up with the growth," said Christine Britton, Manatee County school district's executive director of human resources.
Manatee County schools will hold job fairs on June 4 and July 14, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Polk County is hiring, too. And Pinellas County is still filling more than 140 teacher vacancies. A Hillsborough schools spokeswoman said they are not having layoffs right now.
At Pine View, orchestra won't end.
“We are excited to share that the school will be expanding its music offerings with the creation of a symphony orchestra program, something that has not previously existed at Pine View, principal Stephen Covert said via email to WUSF.
“As part of the district’s overall staffing and budgeting process, schools across Sarasota County Schools reviewed programming, enrollment, and staffing needs for the upcoming year. While staffing structures may evolve from year to year, our focus remains on ensuring students continue to have access to high-quality academic and extracurricular opportunities, including fine arts and music education.”
A symphony orchestra includes a wider range of instruments. In essence, that means one band director overseeing what used to be two separate programs — orchestra and band.
ALSO READ: Sarasota County Schools to cut teachers as vouchers divert millions from district
More than 640 parents, musicians and community members signed a letter of support for Naffe, and for keeping a dedicated orchestra teacher at Pine View.
“It's very unfortunate that in this very affluent community of Sarasota we are cutting teachers from our public schools. It doesn't make any sense,” said Susan Oliveri, whose children attend Pine View and play in the orchestra.
“And as for this particular teacher, I think she's incredible, and it will be a huge loss to the Pine View community as a whole, because we've had orchestra at Pine View for 56 years.”
Oliveri went to Pine View, too, and plays viola with Strings Con Brio, a community orchestra that includes many alumni of Pine View.
“It's something that really improves your life outside of academics and work. So, I think it's really important to foster that in kids,” she said.
