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Board hears $3.9M in proposed staff reductions and community objections to Highlands Career Institute changes
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Summary
Superintendent Longshore presented an allocations memo showing 61.95 unit reductions totaling about $3.9 million; board members pressed on proposed administrative changes tied to Highlands Virtual School while public commenters urged a board vote and transparency over Highlands Career Institute restructuring and VPK cuts.
Superintendent Dr. Brandon Longshore presented the district’s personnel allocation memo at the workshop and said district- and school-level changes would total about 61.95 units, representing roughly $3.9 million in reductions.
Dr. Longshore said the allocation formulas are unchanged and rest on October student counts, with adjustments made during the first weeks of school if needed. The memo shows reductions across classroom teacher units, ESE support facilitation, guidance allocations, and paraprofessional roles, with several items highlighted in red pending verification by student services or federal grant notifications.
Melissa Blackmon, student support services, described how special education allocations begin from individual students’ needs and are coordinated with principals; she said the department reviews those flagged items individually before finalizing allocations.
A central point of debate was the proposed split of an assistant principal unit between Avon Park High School and Highlands Virtual School (HVS). Danielle Erwin, secondary curriculum, explained HVS’s full-time enrollment and flex-course load: 138 full-time students plus 2,847 flex course enrollments, which, when converted under the allocation formula, produced roughly a 613 full-time-equivalent caseload. Board members questioned adding administrative capacity while cutting instructional units, arguing they preferred prioritizing classroom roles.
Counsel reminded the board that the allocation document is a planning tool and the board does not vote on every line item; the board approves broader budget buckets and policies while the superintendent administers staffing within those constraints. Several members asked whether the assistant-principal unit could be restructured so that Avon Park receives a full assistant principal while still addressing Highlands Virtual School oversight.
During public comment, Chastain Jones urged the board to halt what he described as unilateral restructuring of the Highlands Career Institute (HCI) without a formal board vote, calling the process disrespectful to students and staff and saying he had contacted the Department of Education. Lou Tase, a lead VPK teacher at Lake Country, said the VPK program would be cut from six units to three and that certified teacher positions would be reduced to lead paraprofessionals, and she sought information about supports and next steps for affected employees.
Board counsel and staff committed to provide clearer documentation on final unit counts, grant confirmations, the allocation of administrative vs instructional units, and any legal constraints that affect reassigning positions. No final personnel decisions were taken in the workshop; the board requested follow-up data to inform the budget and any subsequent votes.
The board scheduled follow-up work on the allocation figures and asked staff to return with verifications and options for reassigning units between administrative and instructional roles.
