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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. A letter circulated to Brevard Public Schools employees this week signals that staffing reductions are now on the table countywide as the district prepares next year’s budget and contends with declining student enrollment.
The memo, dated Jan. 28, 2026 and signed by Superintendent Dr. Mark J. Rendell, tells employees the district has absorbed years of enrollment-driven funding pressure through spending reductions without impacting personnel, but that “will no longer be the case” as budget planning continues for the coming school year.
In the letter, Rendell wrote that employee salaries and benefits account for more than 80% of district expenditures, and that the district has reached the point where staffing costs must be reduced.
According to the memo, the district’s initial strategy is to start with “non-school positions” first. Each district department has been tasked with a 7% reduction in staffing costs for next year, the letter states. Some of the reductions are expected to come from eliminating vacant positions, but the superintendent also warned that some filled positions may be eliminated.
The letter also says the district will review each school’s staffing plan to identify potential reductions. Rendell wrote that classroom teaching positions “may only be impacted” if there are not enough students to fill a class, and that support positions added over time will be reviewed as part of the process.
While the district has not yet released a public list of positions, departments, or timelines tied to the 7% target, the scope of the memo suggests potential impacts across the system, including school-based support roles and district operations that touch families daily, such as transportation, campus services, and administrative support.
Brevard’s public school system is one of the county’s largest employers, and any widespread staffing reduction can ripple into classroom support, campus operations, response times for maintenance and technology issues, and the availability of student services.
The School Board of Brevard County’s adopted FY 2026 “All Funds Final Budget Summary” shows total adopted revenues and fund balances of about $1.626 billion across governmental and internal service funds, with major spending categories that include instruction, school administration, central services, transportation, and plant operations.
Separately, the school board has already taken steps tied to declining enrollment and cost pressures. Earlier this month, the board voted to close Cape View Elementary in Cape Canaveral at the end of the 2025-26 school year, citing years of enrollment decline and facility costs.
Brevard’s challenges are unfolding as Florida’s public education enrollment forecasts show district enrollment pressure continuing in coming years. A January 2026 executive summary from the state’s Public Schools Estimating Conference projects that district school enrollment declines across the forecast horizon while Family Empowerment Scholarship participation grows substantially statewide.
This is a developing story.
