ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s back to school time!
Summer vacation is giving way to a return to class this week for thousands of students in Central Florida school districts.
Students in Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties return to class on Monday. Classes in Orange and Sumter counties begin on Tuesday.
As classes resume, the Orange County School District is facing a drop in enrollment numbers for the new school year. The decline has resulted in significantly reduced funding. OCPS officials attribute the lower enrollment numbers to a decline in birthrates, immigration policy, aging neighborhoods and taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools.
Because of the drop in students, OCPS made the decision to close seven schools, including Union Park Middle School and Bonneville, Orlo Vista, Eccleston, Chickasaw, McCoy, and Meadow Woods elementary schools.
Orange County School Board Member Stephanie Vanos said students were relocated to other schools because of the closures. OCPS has worked hard to help the principals in the receiving schools with the transition, she said.
Many Central Florida districts also spent the summer focusing on e-bike safety for students. Lara Bouck, manager of project development for Metro Plan Orlando, said the organization has been working with the American Bicycle Education Association, which developed an online training course.
Last year, Metro Plan Orlando offered its first voluntary after-school education program on micromobility in Osceola County.
Several months later, the same course was offered during the school day at two schools in Orange County, where 268 students participated. Bouck said Metro Plan Orlando hopes to reach more students now that the program has been uploaded to Canvas, an online course management system used in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
Meanwhile, the city of Deltona reversed course on its e-bike ordinance, eliminating the minimum age requirement for riding on city streets and sidewalks after city leaders determined the restriction could not realistically be enforced.
In Volusia County, the school district continues to work to fill remaining teacher and support staff vacancies. During recent job fairs, district leaders were able to fill a number of positions, bringing the nearly 400 vacancies they started with down to fewer than 100.
One high school in Marion County is starting the new school year with construction as crews work to fill voids found under the football field at South Marion High School. The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 29, and until then, the football team will play its home games at neighboring schools.
And Polk County Public Schools is in need of more teachers.
Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk County Education Association, said most people get into education because they want to make a lasting impact, but recruiting and retaining teachers has become more challenging. Currently, the district has more than 500 instructional vacancies.
Yocum said this issue isn’t just limited to Polk County. She says districts across the state are struggling to hire more staff due to cuts in public school funding. According to the Florida Education Association, Florida ranks among the lowest in the nation for teacher pay, and Polk County falls below the state average.
For important information about Back-to-School, explore News 13’s school links.