Day one is in the books for Broward County Public Schools, and it appears to have gone smoothly.
The nation’s sixth-largest school district opened its doors for the 2022-2023 school year Tuesday morning. Superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright toured several schools and began her day at the North Area Bus Depot in Pompano Beach, where she broke some staffing news.
“Every bus route is staffed with a full-time bus driver and every core academic class will have a certified teacher starting today on day one of instruction,” Cartwright said.
There are more than 700 bus routes servicing 56,000 students. Just a few weeks ago, the district was in the process of recruiting more than 200 bus drivers and succeeded in hiring the number of people it needed. Cartwright said that’s a direct result of the 2018 referendum passed by voters, which provided money to offer pay incentives to lure in drivers. That measure expires soon, and Cartwright is hoping voters approve the renewal referendum to continue funding to recruit and retain teachers.
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As it stands now, the district still has 107 teacher vacancies and recruited a group of teachers from the Philippines to fill some gaps, along with moving district employees who are certified teachers back into the classroom for the time being.
“We have to think differently because the teacher shortage that we’re hearing a lot about is a real deal, it’s a nationwide problem, it’s a Florida problem, so we had to be creative," Cartwright said.
Cartwright’s first stop on her school tour was Coral Glades High School.
“There’s a lot of nervous excitement but there’s also just pure happiness and excitement to be able to get back into the classroom,” Cartwright said.
The principal at Coral Glades, Dr. Mark Kaplan, said he sees a palpable difference at his school compared to last year.
“This year feels a little different, it kind of feels like pre-pandemic, kids feel excited, there’s a sense of normalcy about the campus that we haven’t had in a while,” Kaplan said.
“I’m seeing exactly the same thing, I’m seeing our children coming back, visiting with their friends, very eager to get back in their classrooms, I’m seeing our teachers so excited to be in front of our students again,” Cartwright said.
