PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Schools is experiencing record-low student enrollment, which means less funding for the district.
The district held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways they plan to save money.
"It's a thought I have in my head every single year this time of year. Every year, I think, is it my turn to get cut?" Brennen Pickett, who has taught in Pinellas County for eight years.
When Pickett heard about the changes coming to the district next school year, he was worried.
"People get very upset. Some teachers see their school as the school I'm going to retire at. And if you are getting told you won't be here anymore because we don't have the place for you, it's soul-crushing," said Pickett.
WATCH: Pinellas County Schools discusses next year's budget and teacher positions
The school district said it's experiencing low student enrollment numbers, which means less funding. District leaders said the devastation from last year's hurricanes, high living costs, and low birth rates are keeping enrollment down.
"We know it's not perfect, we wish we had more dollars, we wish we had more people in the classroom to your point, assisting more students, but we also have to balance our budget," said Kevin Hendrick, Pinellas County Superintendent.
The state estimates enrollment in Pinellas will drop by almost three thousand students going into the next school year. Because of this, 400 teaching positions will not be refilled going forward.
District leaders said this means that teachers who are willingly leaving, are being let go for performance reasons, or are retiring will not be replaced. Teachers who are staying could be moved to other schools with more students.
"Between retirements, resignation, and people who moved, we will fill all of those. Some of them will be really easy, others take time, and where there is not a match with someone with their certification, they will still be employed with us, and we will have them at a school next year until a position comes open," said Hendrick.
The district said no teachers or staff will lose their jobs because of the budget, but Pickett said it'll be a difficult transition.
"You are established in the community, people know who you are eventually, people want you to be their child's teacher eventually. The culture is different as well. If you shift culture like that, it's like a new learning experience, it's not easy," said Pickett.
"To keep hitting stone walls trying to resolve the matter—that’s not consumer friendly"
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