Tensions rise in the Broward School Board as a clash over the fate of teacher raises and general counsel employment ensues in today's meeting. Board member Torey Alston is spearheading a controversial move to retract previously sanctioned salary increases for teachers, stirring discontent and legal concerns among his peers and the Teachers Union.
In a measure ratified in February, educators were granted an average raise of 3.96 percent, a resolution that cost the district approximately $37 million. However, Alston argues that the board lacks the sustainable funds for these raises, having relied on a one-time supplement of nearly $20 million from federal COVID relief dollars to cover part of the costs. Citing the depletion of these funds come next year, Alston urges the board to consider rescinding the hikes and reallocating existing monetary resources to encompass staff-wide raises, as CBS Miami reports.
The proposition, however, faces stiff opposition. Board member Allen Zeman believes Alston's expected motion to reverse the decision will not bear fruit, reiterating the illegality of modifying a settled contract. Zeman, aligned with the Democratic majority on the board, further indicated that there exist alternative avenues to balance the district's books without revoking the raises.
Marylin Batista, the board's general counsel, is ensnared in a separate but equally controversial dispute regarding her management of charter school funding. The board is contending with an approximately $80-million overdue payment to charter schools, stemming from a 2018 tax referendum. As a decision looms over Batista's continued involvement with the board, Teacher Union President Anna Fusco decries the proposed rescindment of the raises. "The district has enough money to do this," Fusco asserted, according to WIOD.
