Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Union: Funds go to waste in schools
Broward teacher survey raises questions about spending within district
The Broward School District wastes a lot of money on office furniture, unneeded staff and constantly changing technology, while requiring teachers to buy their own supplies and sit in mold-filled classrooms, a survey of Broward Teachers Union members alleges.
The union, which is in contentious labor talks with the district over teacher salaries, released a 114-page report Thursday called, “Where’s the Money Going?”
Its conclusion: The money isn’t going to teachers or students.
Union President Anna Fusco said at a news conference Thursday that schools and district offices are frequently buying new office furniture while some teachers have classrooms without enough desks or chairs.
“Our teachers are bringing in chairs and TV dinner trays so our students have some place to sit
other than our floor,” Fusco said. “Yes, students sit on floors. We’ve witnessed it. We’ve brought it to their attention and we were told, ‘you lie.’ ”
One teacher at an unnamed school said in the survey that new office chairs bought in August were replaced in January, “while I still have the same desk and chairs from the ’80s.”
After two requests for comment from the school district, the office of Chief Communications Officer Kathy Koch responded Thursday afternoon with, “This acknowledges your inquiry. Checking.”
Lisa Maxwell, executive director of the Broward Principals and Assistants Association, said much of what’s in the survey is hard to verify as to whether it’s true or just someone’s perception.
“I really think we need to be careful in assuming that at face value this document is a representation of district waste,” she said. “The responsible way to document actual waste is to have actual verifiable evidence of such waste and to publish it in a way that is not subjective and depends on individual perceptions of events.”
Broward Teachers Union released the survey with responses from about 900 teachers to put pressure on the district to find money to pay teachers more. The union has held protests, paid for mobile signs and taken out radio ads to try to persuade School Board members to offer more than a 2% increase proposed by the district. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at Plantation High.
Many teachers reported that the district is constantly buying software, computers, printers and textbooks, only to dispose of them and replace them a short time later.
“Our county is constantly purchasing programs that are basically the same as the program we got two programs ago, but with some rebranding,” said John Falkowski, who teaches special needs students at Ramblewood Middle in Coral Springs.
Teachers also blasted how the district spends money on utilities and maintenance. They complained of air conditioners that were uncomfortably cold.
“Staff and students wear fleeces, coats and sweaters to keep warm,” a teacher wrote. “Raising the AC to 72 would save LOTS OF MONEY!”
The district’s use of the $800 million bond referendum, approved by voters in 2014, was another sore subject. District officials had said the money would provide long-overdue fixes to the oldest and neediest schools, but only nine schools have been completed. All were built in the 1990s or later.
Teachers questioned why the district built weight rooms, renovated school libraries and created a new $1.1 million culinary lab for Western High in Davie before tackling problems with mold and failing roofs.
“Teachers and students are getting sick with respiratory and sinus problems constantly,” one teacher wrote. “You can smell the mold. Our school is old. Ceilings falling apart. Constant plumbing issues. Our school needs to be rebuilt from top to bottom.”