The Palm Beach County School District has eliminated 1,200 positions — a far higher number than previously disclosed— and is recommending a salary freeze for teachers and non-instructional staff this school year, according to a message from Superintendent Mike Burke.
"Our district is navigating a severe revenue shortfall due to minimal state funding and declining student enrollment," Burke wrote in a note to employees Sept. 29.
The annual August count of students found that enrollment was down by nearly 7,000 students from the year before. That figure, more twice the decline district officials expected, came on the heels of an enrollment decline of more than 6,000 students in August 2025.
State funding is tied to enrollment, and the enrollment decline
has significantly reduced money available to the district.
This year's enrollment decline "translates to an immediate $60 million drop in revenue," Burke told teachers and staff.
The district eliminated 76 media clerk positions, and, after the August enrollment figures were released, it announced that it had cut 244 more positions — 214 teacher positions, 24 support staff positions and six administrative positions. But in the message Burke said the district has cut 1,200 positions to cope with what is still a $15 million budget shortfall caused by the loss of state funding.
Not all of those who filled those positions are now out of work.
"Our human resources team worked extensively to find new assignments for displaced staff, and nearly all affected employees were successfully moved into another position," Burke said. "We are disappointed to have had to lay off some members of our team and still face a projected $15 million budget shortfall for the current year."
Burke did not say precisely how many employees were laid off, but he did say that, because of the budget shortfall, he is recommending a salary freeze across all positions for the current year.
"My priority is to maintain the educational programs our students depend on while protecting as many jobs on Team Palm Beach as possible," Burke said. "A salary freeze does not mean teachers should expect to go without raises in future years. However, we must first address this current situation so that we can plan for raises in future years."
The teachers union responds to lay offs, salary freeze
"CTA is aware of the district's mail and is studying it in detail for further response," said Gordan Longhofer, president of the Classroom Teachers Association, which negotiates with the district on behalf of its 12,000-plus teachers. "CTA remains committed to the principle that public school employees need to be able to keep pace with their local costs of living as they lead and guide students to achieve their potential."
Teachers got a 3.5% raise in May after Palm Beach County School Board members ended what had been a protracted set of negotiations between the CTA, which sought a 5% raise, and the district, which countered with an offer of a raise of 1.5% and a one-time bonus of 1.5%.
The state provided funding so school districts could give another raise to teachers with 10 or more years of experience. Burke said the district made "other cuts in our budget" so all instructional staff who are represented by the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association and have at least 10 years of experience could get a raise of roughly 2.2%.
"We felt we needed to do that for our veteran staff," Burke said. "This effort by the district allowed us to extend the raise to approximately 1,600 additional teachers who fall outside the state's specific 'classroom teacher' definition."
The school board approved the raise in July, but it has not yet been ratified by the CTA, according to Burke's message.
"While I am glad we secured this for our veteran educators, I’m disappointed the state excluded teachers with fewer than 10 years of experience from these dedicated funds," Burke said.
The average salary for teachers in the district is just under $63,000 per year, according to an analysis of personnel data obtained by The Palm Beach Post through a public records request. That figure does not include additional money teachers can make through extra work like starting or leading an academic club. Nor does it include supplemental, experienced-based money teachers receive through an additional schools property tax county residents have approved.
After a year of experience, teachers get a $1,000 annual supplement added to their base pay from schools property tax revenue. Teachers with five to nine years of experience get a $5,000 annual supplement, and those with 10 or more years of experience get an annual supplement of $10,000.
Voters will decide in November if they want to extend that additional schools property tax.
While the base pay for teachers in Palm Beach County is among the highest in the state, so, too, is the county's cost of living. Average rent in West Palm Beach, the county's most populous city, was $2,155 in September, according to apartments.com.
Many teachers rely on second jobs, roommates or partners to afford life in this county. Others commute from less expensive places, though the spike in gasoline prices since the start of the war in Iran has eaten into any savings those teachers get by commuting from less expensive locations.
"We are in a very difficult budget situation, and there are no easy solutions," Burke wrote. "I know that many members of Team Palm Beach are facing their own personal financial challenges. I will continue to strongly advocate for better state funding and improved teacher pay."
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Schools cut 1,200 positions, seeks salary freeze for all employees
