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Sarasota school district details staffing reductions, surplus process and class-size adjustments
Summary
Superintendent Conner told the board the district cut 32 district-level administrative roles and 191 instructional positions (mostly non-classroom), with surplussing reduced from 136 flagged positions to 59 through attrition and placement; average class sizes will rise roughly one student on average next year.
Superintendent Conner outlined staffing adjustments the district plans as part of the 2026–27 preliminary budget, saying reductions are spread across administrative and instructional categories and that the district is actively working to place affected employees.
Conner said the district reduced about 32 district administrative positions during the current cycle and will budget 126 administrators going into 2026–27. “A totality of 32 district administrative positions equates to nearly a quarter of our district administration,” he told the board. At the same time, reductions hit instructional categories: the district identified 191 instructional-position reductions overall, most of which staff described as non‑classroom roles such as interventionists and literacy coaches.
Conner and staff said the surplussing process initially flagged 136 positions but that staff have reduced that number to 59 through attrition, reassignment and ongoing placement efforts. The superintendent said those surplussed staff are being actively managed with the goal of minimizing involuntary separations.
On class size, staff said average classroom size will tick up by roughly one student districtwide — from an average of about 15 to just under 16 — to align personnel with projected enrollments. Conner framed the reductions as distributed: district administration carried a proportionally larger share of cuts (about 22% at the district level) while instructional and classified categories were reduced by roughly 7% and slightly lower percentages, respectively.
Board members asked about the mix of cuts, the district’s efforts to protect classroom jobs, and supports for students who might lose specialized nonclassroom services. Staff said some hard-to-fill positions remain covered through contracted services and recruiting, and emphasized ongoing monitoring of student-service levels as reductions take effect.
