ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Orange County Public Schools is considering closing more than a half dozen campuses due to financial constraints and a significant decline in enrollment.<\/p>\n
This year, OCPS is estimating a $41 million funding deficit. The school district reports that enrollment has decreased by 8,000 students over the last three years. School board members acknowledged that many students are going to private schools, charter schools, or are being home-schooled.<\/p>\n
School board members haven\u2019t officially decided if they\u2019ll close the schools. The board is set to meet next week to discuss during a work session.<\/p>\n
Channel 9 obtained a list of the schools that could be closed or consolidated: Union Park Middle School, Bonneville Elementary School, Chickasaw Elementary School, Eccleston Elementary School, Meadow Woods Elementary, McCoy Elementary, and Orlo Vista Elementary.<\/p>\n
This could be a major disruption for thousands of families along with the teachers and other employees that work at these schools.<\/p>\n
School board members say they don\u2019t want to close schools, but their hands are tied.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the school. I want to save all of OCPS. But think of Michael McCoy Elementary. We have a great community,\u201d said one woman speaking during public comment.<\/p>\n
Teachers and parents from McCoy Elementary are asking the Orange County School Board not to close their school. In the last five days, they\u2019ve collected more than a thousand signatures and are counting on a Change.org petition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to close schools, we don\u2019t want to consolidate schools,\u201d said School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs.<\/p>\n
Orange County Public School data shows the enrollment at these seven schools dropping, in some cases by hundreds of students, over the last decade.<\/p>\n
Bonneville Elementary\u2019s enrollment has dropped by nearly 230 students since 2015. Eccleston Elementary\u2019s enrollment decreased by 328 students, nearly halving their enrollment.<\/p>\n
Almost all seven schools are at half or less of their capacity. McCoy Elementary\u2019s capacity is listed at 834, but their enrollment was at just shy of 460 last year. Bonneville Elementary can hold nearly 940 students but only had 375 students last school year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the school has half its student enrollment, the cost of operating that school doesn\u2019t drop by 50 percent,\u201d Jacobs said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen schools are 30, 40, 50 percent underenrolled, we no longer have the dollars to make up that deficit,\u201d said Superintendent Vazquez.<\/p>\n
Superintendent Vazquez says it costs the school district $1 million dollars to run an elementary school before a student even walks in.<\/p>\n
The District estimates a conservative loss of $41 million in funding this year, where the Superintendent says they have to consider class sizes, personnel and cutting back services.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery child deserves a high-quality education and we can no longer afford to dilute resources,\u201d said board member Angie Gallo.<\/p>\n
Board member Alicia Farrant said this isn\u2019t just about closing schools. She says board members are considering the impacts this will have on the community and the lives of students, parents, teachers and custodians.<\/p>\n
School board members are set to meet next week for a work session.<\/p>\n
If the schools are closed, they would shut at the end of the current school year with their students assigned to new schools for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
The district is deciding this as \u201cschools of hope\u201d charter operators have asked to move into under-enrolled campuses, and a new state law lets them do that for free. OCPS got more than 50 requests from charter operators this year.<\/p>\n
The superintendent says the law and the number of notices is pushing the District to make a decision on the schools soon.<\/p>\n
Because if OCPS doesn\u2019t make a plan for those half-empty schools, a charter company could step in and claim the space.<\/p>\n
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