The annual budget for the Hillsborough County School District is tens of millions of dollars short, raising concerns about possible staff cuts in the midst of the pandemic.
Superintendent Addison Davis told school board members at a workshop Tuesday there is a 72 million-dollar operating deficit. Board members also heard that more than 7,000 school-age children have not re-enrolled in Hillsborough County Schools since the coronavirus pandemic hit. About 3,000 have opted for home-schooling. It's unclear what happened to the rest, though district workers are trying to track them down. Davis says if these students don't return to school, the state may cut funding, leading to 56 million more dollars added to the deficit. "This is not a mistake on this document. This document is a reality. The 56 million dollars is a reality for the number of students that if they don't return, that truly exists." A petition against cutting teacher jobs has garnered more than 4,000 signatures.
