BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Clay County School Superintendent David Broskie recapped what he called an extraordinary budget year, and school board member Ashley Gilhousen said the district was facing an unprecedented budget situation during a September 23 school board workshop.
Broskie reminded the board that the district cut its 2025-2026 budget by 20% after several unbudgeted events shrunk the organization’s revenues.
He said the state shorted Florida school districts $47 million in June, of which Clay County suffered an approximately $700,000 hit.
“Essentially, what happened in layman’s terms,” he told board members, “is the state ran out of money and said: We’re not paying school districts.”
The superintendent added that the federal government’s withholding of Title I money further cut the district’s revenues, and an increase in private school vouchers cost Clay County Public Schools an additional $30 million.
Broskie also said a 2.7% inflation rate increased the district’s costs by approximately $14 million.
The superintendent said the district responded to the revenue cuts by reallocating around 250 employees and trying to maximize student enrollment.
He also said the district cancelled contracts with software vendors like i-Ready Math and Penda Learning, a science learning tool. He also stated that the district has reviewed every contract it has, including the one for substitute teachers.
“We’ve reduced district budgets by 20%,” he declared. “Twenty percent in budget reduction is a huge number…In fact, I would say 20% might be the largest cut that I’ve ever heard of in a district budget.”
Broskie recommended that school officials convey to Tallahassee lawmakers that funding for public schools is the top priority for Clay County educators and administrators.
School board members agreed that maintaining and increasing unrestricted funding for teachers’ salaries, increasing funding for career and technical instruction, and increasing funding for exceptional student education would be their top priorities for the 2026 legislative session.
Broskie told board members that with over 20% of its students classified as exceptional, Clay County has one of the highest ESE percentages in the state.
