Lee County teacher shares emotional story after losing job amid budget cuts

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

A Lee County teacher with over two decades of experience is speaking out after losing her job as part of the district’s major budget cuts.

Joanne Carter, who has taught English language arts, history, and other electives for the Lee County School District since 2005, said she was notified last Tuesday—during Teacher Appreciation Week—that her position at Lee County Virtual School was being eliminated.

“My principal notified me on Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week, three weeks after I was told I was a high-impact teacher recognized by the school district, highly effective for most of my career. I was gutted, I was gutted,” Carter said.

The district is cutting more than $46 million from its budget next year and expects to lose over 1,900 students, which will cost millions in vital funding. Superintendent Denise Carlin told the school board during a workshop meeting that she is committed to ensuring taxpayer dollars are used appropriately.

Carter, who has been recognized as a Golden Apple finalist and a high-impact teacher by the state and district, said she doesn’t understand why her position was cut.

“For most of my teaching career, I was a teacher of distinction. I was a Golden Apple finalist. The state had me as a high-impact teacher because of my test scores, and the district has had me as a high-impact teacher,” Carter said.

She shared that her favorite part of teaching was building personal relationships with families. Carter recalled one student in foster care who was later adopted, and the family invited her to the adoption day because of the impact she had on the student’s life.

Carter also had a message for Superintendent Carlin.

“Teachers need to matter. So I don't understand. Miss Carlin, you've gone into classrooms, and you've congratulated teachers who are high impact. You missed me. And on Teacher Appreciation Day, I was notified that I was cut, forced to resign. I don't understand it. I think we need to start doing what's best for children, but we also need to start to consider who's helping these children,” Carter said.

The district offered Carter the opportunity to be placed in a classroom chosen by the district, but she declined.

“I found out on Tuesday, the district told me on Wednesday that I needed to submit my name on a form by Friday so that they could determine a position for me within the district by Monday. I didn't want to go back into the classroom. I've been with Lee Virtual. I've been outside of the classroom, like I said, for quite some time,” Carter said.

Carter said she felt erased from the district after submitting her resignation letter and returning 20 years’ worth of teaching materials.

“The district doesn't pay us a living wage. Teachers are working two or three jobs just because they feel like they were called to do the job. Because kids come first,” Carter said.

Carter also expressed frustration with salaries and the number of people working in the district office. Superintendent Carlin said during the workshop that the office and its staff are essential to operating Lee County schools.

The district said it will have an accurate count of teachers affected by the budget cuts by Friday.

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