Citing declining enrollment, Brevard Schools announces upcoming layoffs

Florida Today | By Finch Walker | January 29, 2026 

In the wake of ongoing declining enrollment, Brevard Public Schools will cut 7% of staff positions in each department, according to a letter sent to district employees on Jan. 28 by Superintendent Mark Rendell.

“Because employee salaries and benefits are more than 80% of district expenditures, we have reached the point where we need to reduce our staffing cost,” Rendell said, adding that non-school positions will be eliminated first. “Each district department has been tasked with a 7% reduction in staffing costs for next year. Some of these reductions will require the elimination of filled positions.”

The move comes just over a week after the school board approved the closure of Cape View Elementary School in Cape Canaveral, a move they also said was ultimately due to the school’s low student enrollment.

The goal with staff reductions, Rendell said, is to “get leaner … while still maintaining support to schools.”

Here’s an overview of the district’s plan.

Rendell: Classrooms teachers won’t necessarily be impacted

Student enrollment has been declining in Brevard over the past several years, Rendell said in his letter. Because enrollment affects funding, the district has had to adjust their budget accordingly.

“We have proactively reduced our spending and have thus far been able to absorb the reduction in funding without any impact on personnel,” Rendell said.

But that will no longer be plausible for the coming school year, which is why the district is looking to cut staff positions.

Each school’s staffing plan will be reviewed for possible reductions ahead of the 2026-2027 school year, Rendell said, adding that “classroom teaching positions may only be impacted if there are not enough students to fill a classroom.”

“These positions are tied to enrollment and class size requirements,” he said. “Over time we have added support positions to schools, and it is those positions that will be reviewed.”

Janet Murnaghan, chief strategic communications officer for BPS, said schools aren’t being asked to reduce their staffing by 7%, but that the reductions will take place at the district level. She added that the reductions will take effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

“Many reductions will be achieved through open positions and retirements,” she said. “Schools are not being asked to reduce their staffing by 7 percent; these are district level reductions.  BPS remains focused on protecting teaching, learning, and the staff who support students every day.”

In his letter, Rendell also said that the purpose of the communication was to give impacted employees a chance to prepare.

“I want to assure you that while these decisions are never easy, our focus remains exactly where it should be: on students, classrooms, and the people who support them every day,” he said.

Brevard Federation of Teachers: ‘Your union will stand firmly with you’

Brevard Federation of Teachers posted a statement to their Facebook page in response to Rendell’s letter, reassuring union members that they were “not facing these challenges alone.”

“Your union will stand firmly with you through every step of this process and ensure that our contractual guarantees related to reduction in force are fully upheld,” BFT said. “We anticipated the budget shortfalls the district is now citing, which is why we fought early to secure a 2% raise each year for the next three years, reductions in health insurance costs, and a three-year contract that protects our hard-won language.”

They added that the union intentionally negotiated the contract to give union members stability.

“While the district may be entering a period of uncertainty, our commitment to you remains steady and unwavering,” BFT said. “We will continue to advocate, communicate, and defend your rights with the full strength of our union.”