ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools is considering the possibility of consolidating or closing up to seven of its elementary schools due to declining enrollment, which leads to fewer state dollars.

The Orange County School Board met on Tuesday during a work session to gather more information. 

During the meeting, Dr. Harold Border. the chief strategy officer for Orange County Public Schools, said the district explored two possibilities for schools dealing with low enrollment. These possibilities included program redesign and consolidation. 

Under program redesign, this would explore micro-schools, internal choice expansion and grade configuration, Border said. 

The latter, consolidation, would consist of reassigning current students to other area schools and using the building for something else. 

Orange County School discuss consolidation

The backstory:

As FOX 35 previously reported, the district has identified seven schools that are being considered for closure. The schools include Union Park Middle School, Bonneville Elementary School, Chickasaw Elementary School, Orlo Vista Elementary School, Eccelston Elementary School, Meadow Woods Elementary School and McCoy Elementary School. 

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Why is Orange County considering closing several schools?

School officials say the discussion is the result of the continuing drop in student enrollment, with several schools operating below capacity. 

Based on school enrollment vs school capacity data the district provided, the seven identified schools are operating at around 40% and 50% capacity. These identified schools are made up of six elementary schools and one middle school. 

Orange County Public Schools, according to the school directory, currently has 135 elementary schools, nine K-8 schools, 41 middle schools and 24 high schools. 

Enrollment data for seven identified schools in Orange County show a decline in enrollment vs. capacity. 

What factors contribute to declining enrollment? 

Enrollment has declined by more than 8,300 students – 4% over the past year – the school district said. OCPS anticipates this decline will continue through 2025, it said. 

OCPS links the decline in enrollment to four factors: 

More families are opting for taxpayer-funded vouchers, such as Family Empowerment Scholarships. Homeschooling and school vouchers are impacting OCPS numbers. Additionally, micro schools and private schools are growing, Border said. A decline in birth rates. 25 students are exiting for every 21 students entering schools throughout the United States, Border said. A population shift. Older, established neighborhoods have fewer students, the district said. Some neighborhoods have been experiencing enrollment declines since 2018, Border said. There was a residential boom in 2010 – recovering from the housing recession – in which, for nearly a decade, the school district accepted 3,000 new students each year. To support this growth, the district built new schools in rapidly developing areas, Border said. After the pandemic in 2020, the district rebounded slightly, but is now seeing a “more alarming trend.” This year, OCPS had a decrease of 5,896 students – 3.2% fewer than last year. Broward and Palm Beach counties are also losing students, he said. He anticipated this would cost the district a $41 million loss this year. A change in Temporary Protected Status for immigrant families How were seven schools identified? 

The district looked at several criteria to identify which schools to consolidate. This included low enrollment and the proximity to other schools. 

Enrollment decline linked to funding decrease

A decline in enrollment also means a decline in funding. The district said it anticipates a loss of $41 million in funding. 

Additionally, operation costs for these schools remain high, the school district said, despite “underutilization.” 

“When schools serve significantly fewer students than they were designed for, it becomes financially challenging to offer the full range of academic programs, extracurricular opportunities and specialized support that our students and staff deserve.” 

Operation costs for an elementary school in Orange County are $1.3 million and for a middle school is $2.1 million, Border said. 

“The district has a responsibility to use its building, staff and financial resources efficiently so that every dollar can support strong teaching and learning at every school,” he said. 

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Parents, community respond to possible school closures

Some parents are already pushing back against the possible school closures. 

Petitions have been created to save some of the schools, including Bonneville Elementary and McCoy Elementary.   

“Unfortunately, our cherished school is now at risk of being closed or consolidated by the school district,” reads the petition to save McCoy Elementary. “This decision would not only dismantle a strong and united community but would also negatively impact hundreds of students, particularly those who rely on the stability and support that McCoy provides.”

Orange County Public Schools officials have said that no final decisions have been made yet about any school closures.

What’s next:

Tuesday’s meeting discussed factors that would lead to school closures. A vote will take place at a later date. 

The Source: This article was written with information from Orange County Public Schools and previous FOX 35 reporting.

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