ORLANDO, Fla. – Students across Central Florida are heading back to school on Monday as the area’s largest school district works to improve enrollment.
Orange County Public Schools begins the school year with an estimated 3,000 fewer students than last year.
With the drop in enrollment, OCPS is projected to receive a $27 million reduction in state funding.
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The difference in funding has prompted the district to issue a four-year pause on the construction of relief schools.
Luminary Elementary School, which opens Monday, is Orange County’s newest campus. After opening two more schools next year, the district will halt new construction until 2031.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez attributed the drop in enrollment to declining birthrates and Florida’s school voucher program.
“I do believe we are the top choice when it comes to educating your child, but it also involves all of us listening to what it is our families need and want in their public schools, and then for us to take action on those needs,” Vazquez said.
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In Seminole County, district leaders estimate a decline in enrollment of more than 1,000 students, which translates to a $13.5 million loss in state funds.
Superintendent Serita Beamon said there was a reduction in workforce at both the school level and district level to accommodate for the reduced funding.
On Monday, the district highlighted a new expansion of Seminole High School’s Health Academy as an example of specialized education programs that are offered throughout the county.
“We have more options for parents and they can fulfill all of their desires for their students’ education career right here in our public schools,” Beamon said.
The Orange County school district has hired a recruitment firm to survey families who have left the district and is attempting to increase enrollment by luring those students back.
Vazquez said the early results from the recruitment firm have been promising.
“We have some very preliminary numbers that indicate that we have recouped families that had left OCPS,” Vazquez said. “Right now, it looks like we’ve recouped a couple of hundred families to come back.”
OCPS is expected to have a better idea of enrollment numbers and recruitment efforts after the first two weeks of school.
“If schools had more students show up, they will gain allocations and dollars,” Vazquez said. “If there were schools where families did not show up or their enrollment is down, then we will adjust for that as well.”