Broward County's school board approved a $4.7 billion budget for the 2026-27 school year without a guaranteed pay raise for teachers, passing the plan in a 6-2 vote. The decision leaves educators waiting on a November 3 property tax referendum they hope will finally deliver the salary bump the board could not commit to now.
Board members Debbie Hixon and Adam Cervera cast the dissenting votes, according to WLRN Public Media, while member Maura McCarthy Bulman voted to approve the spending plan, saying the district was “losing students and money in a very tight budget.” Hixon had proposed a minimum 4% raise for teachers and told the board she would not vote for anything less, saying the final budget did not meet her expectation for honoring the board's direction and prioritizing employees. Cervera, who advocated for a 7% raise, said he was “tired of broken promises” from the district.
Broward Teachers Union president Anna Fusco did not mince words after the vote, saying board members were “weak and uneducated” and that they “should know better” but “do not.” She warned that failure to renew the November referendum would cause a “catastrophe” for the district's finances. Melissa Sherman, another union voice cited in the same report, said teacher value “must be reflected in the budget rather than only in a slogan,” adding that employees have already absorbed the difference by adjusting their own budgets, postponing purchases, and taking second jobs.
A Budget Built Around a Ballot Measure
The board is looking squarely to the November 3 referendum, a renewal of the 1-mill property tax levy first approved by Broward County voters in 2022 at a rate equal to $100 per $100,000 in assessed property value. The measure provides funding districtwide, according to Citizen Portal, with 90% approved for teacher salaries. For traditional public schools specifically, the referendum could provide $238.4 million, while WLRN's reporting put the broader public-school share at more than $230 million. According to a Broward County Public Schools document dated 04 Sept 2019, future referendum dollars must be shared with charter schools on a per-student basis.
According to a Broward County Public Schools document dated 4 Sept 2019, an earlier referendum generated $96.5 million, including $69.5 million (or 72%) for compensation for teachers and school-related staff.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the board the budget could still be amended, and that identified savings could enable a 4% raise later if the referendum passes. The district is projecting savings of up to $52 million under the new budget, with about half expected to come from a hiring freeze in the central office. Board member Allen Zeman predicted the savings would ultimately exceed that $52 million figure and said he “would not sleep” until teachers made $100,000 each.
Not everyone is willing to wait. Fort Lauderdale teacher Yvonne Moniz said she might not be able to remain at her school if neither the referendum nor a 4% raise materializes. Omar Shim, also quoted in WLRN's report, warned that an increase to the general fund does not automatically translate into more funding reaching schools and teachers directly.
Where the Money Is Actually Going
The $4.7 billion budget includes roughly $3.5 billion in the general fund earmarked for teacher salaries, with district-run schools receiving the remaining $2.1 billion of that fund. Charter schools account for 19% of the general fund budget, while the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, Florida's voucher system, accounts for another 12%. The board did allocate around $12 million toward maintaining past raises and salary growth for already-eligible educators, even without a new across-the-board increase.
The general fund grew by $50 million compared to the previous year, but the district says it lost about $100 million in funding due to declining enrollment. Broward County Public Schools had 11,000 fewer students on the first day of the 2026-27 school year than on the same day the year before, continuing a decline that has cost Broward County Public Schools more than 37,000 students over the past decade, as Hoodline previously reported.
Florida's Pay Gap and a Looming Consolidation Fight
The stakes for individual teachers are steep against a backdrop of stagnant statewide pay. Florida's public schools had an average teacher salary of $56,600 in 2025, compared with a national average of $74,400, according to a National Education Association report. Florida ranked 19th nationwide in starting teacher salary at $49,435 but fell to 50th overall in average teacher pay, per data reported by WLRN Public Media in April, illustrating how mid- and late-career educators face pay stagnation even as starting salaries have kept pace elsewhere. Florida ranked last nationwide in both teacher pay and per-student funding, and the Economic Policy Institute has calculated that a Broward County family of two adults and two children needs $124,800 annually for a modest, adequate lifestyle.
The budget fight arrives as the district weighs even bigger structural changes. Broward County Public Schools is considering closing 10 schools next school year, part of a broader consolidation push tied to roughly 60,000 empty student seats districtwide. The district scheduled community listening sessions in September ahead of a December 15 school board vote on the closures, according to WLRN. That follows a May plan to cut 1,000 positions and save about $54 million amid a budget deficit, as reported by The Florida Trib.
The current standoff also builds on a rockier history between the board and the union. The two sides declared a formal contract impasse in February over district proposals to raise teacher health insurance costs, pushing negotiations into state mediation, a dispute Hoodline covered in detail at the time. The Broward Teachers Union also operates under added pressure from Florida's Senate Bill 256, which bars public-employee unions from collecting dues through automatic payroll deduction and requires unions to maintain at least 60% dues-paying membership or face state recertification elections.
Regional Pressure and a Competing Ballot Measure
Neighboring Miami-Dade County Public Schools has a 1-mill levy for teacher pay, while the School District of Palm Beach County has a renewal ballot measure. Broward also has a measure up for renewal.
Complicating the picture, the November ballot will present voters with competing policy choices.
The district's finances also carry the residue of an earlier dispute: in April 2024, the school board agreed to a three-year plan to repay about $80 million to charter schools after state action.
