ORLANDO, Fla. — Another round of budget cuts is coming to Orange County Public Schools. This time, OCPS is trimming millions from its administrative offices and eliminating some positions at schools with low enrollment.
The district tallied its enrollment numbers 10 days into the new school year and found they are down by 7,800 students. That is more than district leaders expected.
In a memo from the district, OCPS is announcing $8.5 million in budget cuts at the central office for the administration team that supports students, parents, and teachers.
District spokesman Scott Howatt explains the impact.
He says, “So looking at positions there to eliminate or reduce. That’s in addition to the 5% we’ve done over the last two years. So, that’s district-level cuts.”
Howatt explains that each year the district counts enrollment 10 days into the school year to adjust the district budget and staffing levels at schools, based on attendance.
The district is now determining how many positions could be cut at schools with low enrollment.
“We won’t know the exact impact of people versus positions. We always want to cut vacant positions first, and then if it’s people, then they would be affected,” Howatt says.
Howatt thinks the district might have those numbers by next week.
School Board Member Stephanie Vanos says the administrative cuts could lead to slower response times when parents call the district. Vanos does not expect large layoffs this year but says parents will see some changes.
“What they probably will see is maybe some shifting of teachers or support staff. Maybe going from schools that have lower than expected numbers to schools that have higher than expected numbers of students,” says Vanos, who represents District Six.
District leaders say these new cuts will help ensure they can serve students and families for years to come. They point out the new central office cuts come after they eliminated 200 district-level positions last year to save money.