ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The majority of Florida school districts anticipate having fewer students next year and, as a result, fewer dollars.
The student shortage is due to several factors. First, people are having fewer children than before and there is a shortage of kindergarteners entering the public school system.
Administrators say Florida’s voucher program, which sends taxpayer dollars to homeschooling families, charter schools and private schools when students enroll outside the district, is the biggest contributor.
Proponents of the system laud it as the ultimate freedom for families to choose the education that benefits their children the most.
Critics accuse the state of siphoning money out of public schools and creating an unfair playing field that incentivizes private education. They say their fears are being realized.
“I would just encourage families to pay attention to what’s going on,” Orange County School Board Member Stephanie Vanos said. “Most families love their public school. Most students love their public school, and we really need to work together to support it and make sure our lawmakers know that the people who voted for them believe in our public schools.”
According to a memo sent to staff, Orange County estimates it will enroll 3,100 fewer students next year and have a funding gap of $27.8 million.
The district is taking a two-pronged approach to cover the loss. It’s asking departments to cut 2% of their budgets and contracting with a private company to lure students back to the system by emphasizing the district’s resources, programs and choices.
A draft agreement set to be voted on Tuesday night shows that in return for each success, the company will earn $1,000 of the $9,000 in funding that travels with the student during the student’s first year only.
Backers of the agreement said it was better than the $0 the district would otherwise receive.
Of the districts that WFTV emailed on Tuesday and that responded, only Osceola County was expecting an enrollment increase.
Neighboring Lake and Seminole counties both expect to lose about 1,500 students, resulting in shortfalls of $8 million and $13 million respectively, while Volusia County expected to lose 1,400 students.
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