School Funding Deficit Comes With Turmoil At Top (FL)

February 9, 2011

Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to cut more than $3 billion from the education budget is making for some anxious moments among the Palm Beach County school board employees.

Chief Financial Officer Mike Burke estimated that the district would be left trying to plug a $65 million budget hole when the cost of complying with class-size caps is factored in.

“Unfortunately, the options are not going to be pleasant,” said Burke, who surmised that this would be the hardest of his 21 years working on school budgets.

Burke said, because of class-size restrictions, furloughs for teachers are not an option. He projected that everyone in a school who is not in a classroom — from support staff to those in the front office — will be drastically cut.

The turbulent financial picture comes as Superintendent Art Johnson is facing even more pressure over his contract. A school board member asked that it be discussed at a special meeting Wednesday, reporting that the issue cannot wait until the regular school board meeting.

A group of parents and others are asking that Johnson be investigated for any possible involvement in a double-dipping investigation surrounding his former Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey Hernandez.

Hernandez is accused of being paid by Palm Beach County schools while working for a school district in Tennessee.

Johnson did not return calls seeking comment.