A districtwide hiring freeze is in place to preserve current vacancies for potential staff reassignments following adjustments to student enrollment after the 5th day student count. However, specialized positions that are not expected to have surplus staff available for reassignment will remain open for hiring. These include, but are not limited to:

Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Clinic Aides
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs)
Bus Drivers
Skilled Trades: HVAC, Maintenance, Electricians, Plumbing
Grounds Crew
Substitute Custodial Staff
Food and Nutrition Services (FNS)
Others are identified on an ongoing basis

This approach ensures we prioritize existing staff placement while continuing to fill critical service positions essential to daily operations.

Reductions through attrition and no backfilling of vacancies from resignations or retirements for targeted positions.

As part of our effort to streamline operations and protect resources for direct student services, we conducted a thorough review of all school and district-level administrative positions. This analysis focused on whether the work tied to each position could be redistributed, automated, or absorbed without negatively impacting core functions.

As a result, the following existing administrative positions were eliminated:

Supervisor – Student Services
Parent and Family Engagement Admin
Chief of Staff
Federal Grant Budget Specialist
Manager – Safety & Security Technology
Transportation Area Manager (2)
Transportation Training Supervisor
Strategic Planning & Special Projects Manager
Safety and Security Coordinator (2)
Program Manager
Family Navigator
Assistant Director of Vo Tech
Assistant Principals (3)
Manager – Marketing & Communications
Business & Financial Services Administrator
Police Sergeant

This targeted reduction in administrative staffing helps ensure that our limited funds remain focused on supporting students and classrooms, not overhead. It reflects a commitment to fiscal discipline while maintaining the quality and continuity of essential services.

As part of our broader effort to align staffing with actual needs and preserve funding for direct instructional services, we also conducted a detailed review of classified (non-instructional) positions across the district. This review focused on the utilization of roles, workload demand, and the capacity of schools and departments to maintain essential functions despite certain roles being discontinued.

Following that review, the district eliminated the following existing classified positions:

Registrars (3)
Registrar Assistants (4)
Bookkeeper Assistants (7)
Middle School Career Advisors (9)
Technology Support Professionals (25)
Custodians (10)
Cafeteria Aide (1)
Media Monitorial Aides (6)
Print Services Technician (1)
Truancy Workers (2)
Executive Secretary (1)
Purchasing Buyer (1)

These reductions were based on a combination of factors, including:

Duplicated responsibilities or overlapping support functions.
Declining workload or reduced service demands.
Shifts in technology that allow existing staff to perform duties more efficiently.
Low usage or underutilization of support in specific jobs.

Where feasible, duties from eliminated roles are being absorbed by existing staff or addressed through updated systems and scheduling efficiencies.

The restructuring of the Technology Support Professionals (TSP) model will better align with the service needs and available resources. Previously, TSPs were assigned directly to schools, with most campuses receiving support from one to two support staff, regardless of workload, ticket volume, or the complexity of technological needs. The district is shifting to a regional support model, reducing the number of TSP positions from 52 to 28.

Under the new structure, TSPs will be assigned to regional clusters of schools, allowing for more balanced coverage and response times. Staffing decisions are based on data, including ticket volume, device counts, and response times, rather than uniform distribution. The new regional approach preserves quality service delivery while reducing staffing overhead.

To maintain financial stability while protecting direct instruction and student outcomes, we implemented reductions in targeted instructional positions. These decisions were guided by enrollment trends, program usage, and an evaluation of which roles can be sustained without compromising the quality of services to students.

The following instructional positions were eliminated:

Middle School Testing Coordinator/Data Coaches (9)
Schoolwide Behavior Coaches (32)
School Psychologist (1)

The Schoolwide Behavior Coach positions, many of which were only added in the last few years using temporary ESSER (federal COVID relief) funding, could not be sustained with the expiration of those funds. As a result, the district reduced 32 positions. However, this does not eliminate all behavior support services.

All Title I schools will continue to have a behavior coach.
Select non–Title I schools will also retain behavior coaches based on behavioral data and student needs.
This ensures support is maintained where it is most needed while aligning staffing with available funding.

Reductions in Middle School Testing Coordinator/Data Coach positions reflect the district's capacity to integrate those support functions into school-based leadership teams. This mirrors the longstanding practice at the elementary level, where administrative
teams have effectively managed assessment coordination and data responsibilities without the need for separate, dedicated positions. As enrollment declines and operational costs rise, consolidating these roles within the administrative structure is a sustainable approach that maintains accountability and support without duplicating personnel.

Moving forward, we will shift from a blanket assignment model to a more strategic, data- informed approach for deploying literacy coaches and interventionists. In the past, schools received one to three literacy coaches and an interventionist, but there was no clear alignment with student data.

Under the new model:

Elementary Title I and K–8 schools will receive two allocations:
- 1 Literacy Coach and 1 Interventionist

Elementary non-Title I schools will receive one allocation:
- 1 Literacy Coach/Interventionist

Secondary schools will receive either one Literacy Coach or share a coach with another secondary school based on school-specific data.

In addition to these on-site allocations, all schools will continue to benefit from the support of district literacy specialists, who will provide coaching, modeling, and technical assistance aligned to district priorities and school-based goals. These specialists will help ensure continuity of best practices, monitor implementation, and provide targeted expertise that complements the work of site-based coaches and interventionists.
This change supports a more effective use of personnel by aligning resources with schools that have the greatest instructional needs—ensuring staffing is based on actual student performance, rather than preset formulas. Schools will now be better positioned to target interventions where they'll have the greatest impact on reading achievement.

We have adjusted the number of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Liaisons from 35 to 16 as part of a shift to a more targeted, regionally based support model. This adjustment will not reduce the direct services we provide to English Language Learners (ELLs). It reflects a change in how support is coordinated, not a cut to the services students receive.

The ESOL liaison's primary responsibility is not directly working with students. Their primary responsibilities include:
Supporting communication between schools and families who speak languages other than English.
Assisting with translation and interpretation needs, often coordinating rather than performing the service themselves.
Assisting school staff in understanding and complying with state and federal ESOL requirements.
Facilitating access to community resources for multilingual families.
Serving as a liaison between families and school staff to help navigate the school system.

By organizing liaisons regionally, each will serve a defined cluster of schools. This increases consistency, avoids duplication, and ensures support is distributed more evenly based on needs. The new model aligns staff based on data, such as student caseloads and language needs.

The adjustment does not impact ESOL-certified teachers or instructional support staff who work closely with ELL students daily. Instructional support and language acquisition services remain unchanged.

Following a comprehensive review of our Exceptional Student Education (ESE) department in 2024, Sarasota County Schools revised its ESE staffing model to better align with both student needs and operational sustainability.

Before 2024, our inclusion/resource staffing ratio was approximately 1 ESE teacher for every 37 students, a model that lagged behind best practice recommendations. In response, we implemented a more aggressive ratio. For example, in elementary schools, our allocation was a 1-to-20 ratio, exceeding the recommended standards to rapidly expand student support. While well-intentioned, the model proved impractical:

It created far more positions than the labor market could realistically fill, resulting in widespread vacancies.
The inability to fully staff these roles led to gaps in service continuity, despite an increased number of allocated positions on paper.
The imbalance placed unnecessary strain on existing personnel and created inefficiencies in resource use.

To address these challenges, the district is adopting a revised inclusion/resource staffing ratio. By level, this means:

Elementary: from 1:20 to 1:25
Middle: from 1:25 to 1:27
High: from 1:27 to 1:30

This adjustment remains within the recommended range outlined by the 2024 departmental review and reflects a more realistic outlook. It supports long-term sustainability, provides a stable and predictable framework for schools to plan support, and preserves service quality.

For VE/Self-Contained classes, the new ratio is set at 1:15. While this represents a slight adjustment from the previous 1:12–15 range, it reflects how we've consistently staffed toward the top of that range already—particularly when student needs warrant it.
All specialized ESE programs (IND, ASD, EBD) remain staffed at a ratio of 1:10, and these ratios have not changed.

21.6 allocations reduced ESE Instructional Facilitators (EIF). All schools continue to have an ESE Instructional Facilitator (EIF) assigned to them. Allocations range from a minimum of 0.5 to as much as a full 3.0. The EIF allocation formula prioritizes PreK–12 specialized programs and high school deferral programs.

As part of this realignment, the district has reduced 31 ESE paraprofessional positions. This reduction was based on a review of current student enrollment and IEP-driven staffing needs, including students who have exited the system or no longer require aide support. Staffing continues to be adjusted based on verified student-level need, not position counts.

Adjustment to Safety and Security allocations:

House Bill 1473 (2024) added additional requirements for training, reporting, and staffing "while students were on campus." This terminology required us to hire additional after-hours safety and security personnel to ensure compliance, including evening activities.

Because of the vagueness of the language in 2024, Senate Bill 1470 passed this year (2025), defining the timeframe that all school safety measures must be in place as 30 minutes before the start of school until 30 minutes after the school day ends. This eliminates the need for 10 after-hours security aides, five after- hours SROs, and one after-hours sergeant.

SB 1470 also centralized many reporting requirements and shifted some of the compliance responsibilities. This reduces some of the administrative burden, such that the number of additional staff hired to manage, including 6 School Safety Officers and 2 Safety and Security Coordinators, was reduced.

These reductions do not compromise any of our existing safety measures for our students.

School counselor-to-student ratios for the 2025–26 school year reflect an adjustment to staffing formulas due to budget constraints and the expiration of temporary federal funding (ESSER). These adjustments are designed to maintain services while aligning staffing with available recurring revenue.

Comparison to Pre-ESSER (2021–22): The 2025–26 ratios remain in line with the pre-ESSER levels (which were 1:750 for elementary and 1:450 for high or middle).

Current (2023–25): Elementary and Middle schools were staffed at a base ratio of 1:400 and 1:450, respectively. Additional fractional or full positions were added as enrollment increased above those thresholds.

New (2025–26): The base ratio shifts to 1:699, with tiered staffing increases:
2 counselors for 750-999 students (Elementary School)
2 counselors for 700–999 students (Middle School)
3 counselors for 1,000+ students
High schools will continue to be staffed at a 1:400 base ratio, with add- on positions funded separately as needed.

What is the result of all these adjustments together? Every employee in an impacted position is being offered a suitable position within the district. I would like to thank SC/TA for their partnership in this process, which has unfolded over the summer months. Their collaboration has helped ensure we focus on solutions that support both our staff and students.

Instead of postponing tough decisions until fall, we acted in the summer to give employees more time and options, minimizing disruption for students and schools.

Overall, these adjustments have fallen more heavily at the district level than at the school level proportionately.

To date, here is a breakdown of adjusted positions on our general fund:

School-based reductions for instructional, classified, and administrative staff have been 4% for each of those classifications.
District-level instructional staff have seen a 2% reduction.
District-level classified staff have been reduced by 6%.
District-level administration has been reduced by 10%.

What's Next

So, what's next?

As we do every year, we'll closely monitor student enrollment through the 5th day of school. This is standard practice across Florida school districts. These 5th-day adjustments often result in shifting staff from schools with lower-than-projected enrollment to those with higher-than- projected enrollment. When fewer students enroll at a school than expected, some teachers and staff are surplussed and placed where enrollment is higher—ensuring staffing aligns with actual student demand.

By acting throughout the summer, we've already absorbed much of the disruption that typically comes during this adjustment window. If further changes are needed, we'll approach them thoughtfully and in alignment with our collective bargaining agreement. Our goal remains to have all staff settled into their permanent roles by Labor Day.

I wish I could say that this is the last time we need to make budget adjustments, but the reality is that we're likely to face ongoing impacts to education funding. One clear example is the upcoming opening of the new high school in Wellen Park in August 2026. While it's an exciting milestone, it also brings added costs that must be balanced against our projected revenue. The bottom line is this: managing the district's budget is a continuous cycle. It requires constant monitoring, planning, and adjusting as conditions change. We'll continue to make the necessary decisions to stay financially responsible while keeping student needs at the forefront.

We've created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource below to address many of the concerns we've heard so far. If you don't see your question there, you can also submit it directly using this link. Please check back regularly for updates and new information as they become available.

In times of change, misinformation is bound to spread. Our job is to lead with transparency and stick to the facts. That's why I've laid them out clearly, so when something doesn't sound right, you have the facts to verify it.

We are more than capable of meeting the challenges ahead, and we will. Sarasota County Schools remains firmly committed to providing a premier education for our students and outstanding working conditions for our staff.

That commitment guides every decision we make. While adjustments have been necessary, they have been thoughtful, strategic, and rooted in data. We are operating from a position of strength, not crisis, and our actions are designed to maintain that strength in the long term.

We're not just reacting to the moment; we're planning for the future. And with the people we have in this organization, we'll continue to do what Sarasota does best: deliver excellence to every student, every day.

I'm more than excited for the year ahead. We have strong schools, dedicated staff, and a community that cares deeply about education. Together, we're positioned to make 2025–26 our most successful and rewarding year yet.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for what we know will be an outstanding school year.

Respectfully,

Terry Connor
Superintendent of Schools