As you may know, Broward is facing major budget challenges due to wasteful spending, and more specifically Broward County Public Schools is facing an $85 million budget deficit, caused by a drop in student enrollment, due to many factors. Furthermore, to combat this issue BCPS has proposed the elimination of study halls, the replacement of the A/B block schedule with 7 periods in one day (6 of the 7 periods being instructional), and the removal of a teacher planning period. This comes at the detriment to teachers and students and unfortunately is of no concern to the BCPS board.

·      Study hall is a class period that is 85 to 92 minutes for "block" schedules (or 40 to 62 minutes for more traditional schedules) long period used to do schoolwork and homework for the 7 other classes students have throughout the week. It’s perfect for students who have after-school activities, part time jobs or even learning disabilities, it gives us an extra class period to do work or even relax for a before or after the rest of your classes and is crucial for students who need to catch up on missing assignments and go to teachers/ counselors if they have an issue with anything, without interrupting class time.

·      In addition to getting rid of study halls, the School Board also plans on cutting teachers' pay by hiring more to pay less. While it is true that there is a shortage of teachers, adding more and paying less won’t solve this issue. Most teachers quit due to low compensation and lack of support. A teacher’s salary is around $51,916 to $53,698 per year which is low compared to doctors, lawyers, police officers and even engineers. The people who inspire, guide and educate our generation, the future of America, could make the same amount of money they make now as a manager for Walmart or even target, and unlike them, they have to take their work home and buy school supplies for their students. Some even take the time out of their day to host clubs/ afterschool activities and stay in school for extra hours and during the weekend. Besides the things that they do in school, most teachers have families of their own, bills to pay and have to take care of their own mental health.