ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County School Board members will reconsider a controversial agreement Tuesday that would pay a private company nearly $1,000 per student it recruits back into the district.
District officials say declining enrollment, down by the thousands in recent years, is cutting deeply into state funding. But at least one board member argues the district should not rely on a third-party recruiter to bring students back.
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Orange County Public Schools is seeking to extend its contract with Caissa Public Strategies, a Tennessee-based firm hired to contact families who left for charter, private, or homeschool options.
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Under the agreement, Caissa is paid $935 per student who returns and remains enrolled for at least 30 days. Each student brings in about $8,950 in state funding, according to the district.
Board member Alicia Farrant, who represents District 3, said she has serious concerns about the effectiveness of the partnership.
“I’ve been very skeptical about giving another company $900 per student that we receive back,” Farrant said. “As long as they stay for 30 days, Caissa would receive that roughly $900 per student. But I don’t feel confident as a school board member that it is working.”
Farrant said the district must be “frugal” with taxpayer dollars as it navigates enrollment declines and the rise in state-funded private school vouchers.
“When I look at the amount of money that we’re giving, it’s roughly about 10% of what we’re receiving from the state to educate a child,” she said. “We really have to be frugal.”
The recruitment work has already been underway for months, following a vote earlier this year. District leaders say a new approval is needed for the work to continue into the next school year.
Farrant also questioned claims that the program has brought in more than 1,932 students, saying she has not seen verified data to support the number.
“There’s just a lot of things up in the air for me, and so I’m continuing to ask questions,” she said.
The school board is scheduled to vote on the agreement on Tuesday night. News 6 has asked OCPS for updated data on how many students have returned through the program and whether the partnership has met performance expectations.
Updates will be posted as soon as the district responds.