Orange County Public School leaders say they are struggling to plan financially for next school year, as the state’s budget is still up in the air.
At a work session this week, school board members were told it’s unclear how much money Orange County Public Schools will be getting from the state. That’s because Governor Ron DeSantis and legislators have not agreed on a budget, including a plan for proposed tax cuts.
The governor wants property tax cuts, the House wants cuts to sales taxes, and the Senate falls somewhere in between.
The budget must be completed and signed by the governor by July 1.
Public schools in the state rely on money from both property and sales taxes, said OCPS Chief Financial Officer Doreen Concolino. For now, that uncertainty in Tallahassee is affecting the budgeting process.
“At this time, we do not know if there will be a reduction to sales taxes, property taxes, or a combination of both, all of which will have an impact on state revenue, affecting school funding and tax revenues,” said Concolino.
Legislators are also considering DeSantis’ proposed $1.5 billion dollars in pay raises for teachers, and $29.7 billion in proposed funding for K-12 public schools.
Watch the full OCPS budget work session meeting here:
On top of this uncertainty about the budget, the state is funneling more money into private and charter schools as part of its universal voucher program, and away from public school districts.
In January, the governor announced more than 500,000 students were enrolled in the universal voucher program. Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that is in charge of doling out most of the scholarships for the program, said it’s had the busiest application cycle so far. The Florida Policy Institute estimates the voucher program will cost Florida $4 billion dollars this year.
For OCPS Board member Angie Gallo, it’s a frustrating position to be in.
“There is no shortage of money in Florida. They have billions of dollars in their reserves. They have the money. They're choosing to starve public schools. They just are. They could fund this, and they're not. And that is what is upsetting, because we still have to offer the same services,” said Gallo.
Last month, OCPS sent out a memo saying they expected to lose more than 3,100 students next school year, which could result in a budget shortfall of $27.8 million in funding.
That same month, OCPS announced it would contract with nationwide PR firm Caissa Public Strategy. The firm helps districts recoup students lost to private and charter schools, as more states adopt universal voucher programs.
Watch OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez discuss budget cuts:
In Orange County, Caissa will get $935 each time they enroll a student in the district, and that student stays enrolled for roughly four months.
Earlier this week, Orange County School district officials announced they would pause construction on planned expansion in the district, due to this expected loss of students and funds.
The district estimated it won’t need to build a new school building until 2030, if enrollment continues to decline, and expects layoffs to continue.
More than 800 teachers in the district have already received non-reappointment letters.
