With just a month left in the school year, Manatee County's new school leader has a plan to get the financially struggling district out of the red.
Rick Mills, Superintendent of the Manatee County School District, has ordered his staff to stop spending money.
"If you curtail virtually all spending other than essential and emergency, it's going to impact your reduction to spend," said Mills.
Mills said the district was operating over the budget line.
To fix this, he has issued a hiring freeze, eliminated purchasing cards, and stopped overtime, between now and the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30th.
Mills said the changes are not meant to affect the classroom or overall learning environment. But those who are impacted said it will.
"A lot of people are at a point where they are making decisions about supplies and materials that they need for their classrooms," said Pat Barber, President of the Manatee County Education Association.
Barber, who is head of the teacher's union, said while she understands the need for the freeze, teachers are now being forced to dig into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies and more.
She's encouraging the community to step up and help.
"Regardless of what credibility the system has for you right now, teachers are still in their classrooms teaching students every day and maintaining the quality instruction for their students," said Barber. "If you've never contributed to your teacher's classroom before, now is a good time to go ahead and do that if you can."
Despite the budget problems, the superintendent remains confident that he will be able to turn this district around.
"In talking with finance team and transition team we'll be on the road to recovery next year," said Mills.
The superintendent says he is evaluating the financial situation daily. He plans on revealing a final economic recovery plan for the district in June.