There are 116 Orange County School teachers who will be asked to move schools in the district after their school was particularly hard hit by a districtwide drop in enrollment.
Earlier this fall, the district announced it had lost 7,000 students, about double what was expected. About half of those students are thought to be from immigrant families. Many others enrolled in voucher-supported schools outside the district.
The silver lining for Orange County Classroom Teachers Association President Clinton McCracken is that the district has enough vacancies: if a teacher loses their job at one school, they will be moved or reassigned to another school in the district that has vacancies.
“We're happy about that, but it is still quite a disruption, of course. So if you're one of those teachers, unfortunately that are going to have to be moved into a different situation, that's really a terrible space to be in, but we're at least not looking like we're in a place where people are going to be losing a job,” said McCracken.
Watch the press conference where the OCPS budget is discussed:
McCracken said teachers can expect notifications of these reassignments by the end of the week, with classroom moves shortly after. The union is available to support teachers during the move.
Despite the inconvenience of having to move schools, change lesson plans or prepare for an entirely different grade or subject, McCracken said most of the teachers he’s talked to are actually more concerned for their students who are missing.
“We don't know where they're at. So there is a lot of concern for these kids that right now are not in our school buildings, which was a safe space for them to be in,” said McCracken.
Along with families keeping students home amidst the fear of ICE raids on school campuses, the district says Florida’s universal voucher program and an aging population are just some of the factors contributing to the drop in student enrollment.
Under a new HHS policy that took effect in January, ICE can conduct raids in schools, and other formerly protected places, although as of yet, none have happened in Florida schools.
Orange County Schools Superintendent Maria Vazquez tried to assuage families' fears about sending their students to school calling it the safest place for students to be.
