Broward school board workshop directs superintendent to include 4% raise in next budget draft

At a School Board of Broward County workshop, trustees directed Superintendent Hepburn to include at least a 4% across'the'board pay increase in the budget draft for the coming year, signaling a nonbinding consensus in the workshop setting.

Board member Hixson said 4% is her baseline request and urged the board to 'bake' that money into the budget so negotiators are not trying to find it later. 'It's my baseline bottom lowest number' she said, framing the amount as realistic and intended to be affordable.

Several members pushed for a higher pool; Board member Rivera and others discussed 6% to 7% as aspirational. Rivera said he would like to see something around 6 or 7 percent. The board heard technical estimates from staff that each 1% across'the'board raise would cost roughly $14'$15 million; using the higher estimate in discussion, board members said 4% would cost about $60 million and 7% about $105 million.

General Counsel Dupree Bruno reminded trustees that raises affecting unionized employees must be addressed through collective bargaining and that the board's discussion was about funding a pool to inform negotiations rather than a finalized, unilateral pay change.

The board emphasized this was guidance from a workshop, not a formal vote. Board members asked staff to return with clear figures showing the budgetary tradeoffs and sources for any proposed raise pool; some asked that the superintendent present the funding plan and any offsets at a regular board meeting ahead of the formal budget vote.

Next steps: Superintendent Hepburn and staff will model the budget with the 4% directive and provide the board with detailed fiscal implications and options for higher percentages at an upcoming regular meeting, per trustees' direction.