Broward schools administrator fired over laptop procurement investigation
Key Points(5)
- A Broward schools administrator accused by the county’s top watchdog of mismanaging the purchase of laptops and misleading the School Board has been fired.
- The firing of Jennifer Andreu came despite pleas for leniency from many of her supporters, who told School Board members on Tuesday she had done nothing to warrant the action.
- Andreu denies wrongdoing.
- Andreu was the school district’s executive director of operations from 2023 to early 2026, a period when Broward’s Office of Inspector General scrutinized three efforts to select vendors for laptop purchases and deployment.
- She was moved to a job overseeing economic development and compliance earlier this year.
Jamaican American school administrator Jennifer Andreu has been fired by the Broward County School Board following an investigation into the district’s laptop procurement process that found she and other employees mismanaged the process and misled board members.
The board voted 6-3 on Tuesday to terminate Andreu, who served as the school district’s executive director of operations from 2023 to early 2026. Board members Adam Cervera, Jeff Holness and Nora Rupert voted against the termination.
The decision came despite pleas for leniency from supporters who addressed the board, arguing that Andreu had done nothing to warrant her dismissal. Andreu has denied wrongdoing.
The Broward Office of Inspector General released its investigation on Sept. 30 after examining three efforts to select vendors for laptop purchases and deployment. The report concluded that, while Andreu and some other employees “did not engage in misconduct or gross mismanagement, they mismanaged the procurement process and, in the course of doing so, misled the School Board.”
Andreu was moved from her operations role to a position overseeing economic development and compliance earlier this year.
Superintendent defends disciplinary action
During his superintendent’s report on Tuesday, before the board discussed Andreu’s employment, Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the inspector general’s findings highlighted significant problems that the district needed to address.
“The concerns identified in this report are unacceptable, and we are taking action. Public trust is earned through our actions, not simply our words,” Hepburn told the board.
“Any employee found to have knowingly misled the School Board, violated district policies, or broken the law will face swift and appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination,” he added.
During the discussion, board member Jeff Holness questioned the decision-making process.
“Rush decision or a harsh decision?” Holness asked.
“This is not a rush or a harsh decision,” Hepburn responded.
Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco also challenged the process used to terminate Andreu, arguing that the district had not followed proper procedures.
“This due process was not done accurately, it was not done right,” Fusco said while addressing the board.
Andreu considers appeal
Speaking to the South Florida Sun Sentinel after the meeting, Andreu said she was disappointed by the board’s decision and was considering her options to challenge the termination.
“I’m deeply disappointed by the board’s decision,” Andreu said. “I did nothing to warrant termination and stand by my nearly 30 years of public service and integrity.”
She told the newspaper that she was reviewing options to “continue defending my reputation,” including appealing the decision to Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings.
The termination follows months of scrutiny over the district’s laptop procurement efforts and raises questions about accountability in the management of public education resources.
Andreu maintains that she did not engage in conduct warranting dismissal, while district leadership has said disciplinary action is necessary to address the concerns identified by the inspector general.
