<body><div>ORLANDO, Fla. — Declining enrollment is causing new challenges for Orange County Public Schools. The district announced 98 probationary employees currently are not assigned to a position.OCPS Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez also says that after the November election, the new school board will have to consider if any more schools will close after this school year.District leaders say lower birth rates, expensive housing, national immigration policies, and state vouchers for private schools mean fewer students are attending public schools, and that is hurting funding for OCPS schools.Angela Douglas’ oldest daughter goes to Sunshine High School, an OCPS charter school funded by taxpayers, while her younger daughter is in her second year at a private school, where she is trying something different from public schools.“I feel like they have too many kids in the classroom to really take control,” Douglas said about the current state of Orange County’s school system. “And then we have a lot of younger teachers that are coming into the school system now.”Other families are making similar choices. OCPS data shows around 8,000 fewer students are enrolled now compared to this past May. The state funds the district based on the number of students in its schools.Orange County School Board Member Stephanie Vanos says it’s a tough situation when positions are on the chopping block.“When we don’t see enrollment coming in at a number that can support the number of teachers that are there, then unfortunately, we do have to make difficult decisions,” Vanos said.OCPS closed seven schools this past summer due to low attendance and low projected attendance for the future.Vazquez says the current enrollment numbers show one third of the district’s schools do not have enough students to pay their own operating costs.Vazquez says a school’s attendance has to be at 65% of its capacity for the school to break even. Nearly 40 elementary schools are failing to meet that mark.“The board understands that if there isn’t a significant change in enrollment, they are going to have to revisit school closures,” Vazquez said.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LN7gR_1FPZcX0800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LN7gR_1FPZcX0800" width="1280" height="720" ></figure>Lake Silver Elementary School is one of the schools with low attendance. District data shows its enrollment is now at 48% of capacity.Vazquez says no schools will close this year, and after the November election, staff will present enrollment data to the new school board so they can decide if they need to close schools next year or the following year.“I can absolutely see where we would then start to have conversations at the schools that may be considered for school closure,” Vazquez said.We received a statement from Clinton McCracken, President of the Classroom Teachers’ Association, the teachers’ union.McCracken said, “We understand the district is facing difficult financial decisions, but cuts should be made as far away from students and schools as possible. After eliminating SAFE Coordinator positions, we are now losing additional employees who provide essential student services, with one middle school left with only one counselor. When you cut the people closest to students, students ultimately feel the impact.”</div></body>

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Declining enrollment is causing new challenges for Orange County Public Schools. The district announced 98 probationary employees currently are not assigned to a position. OCPS Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez also says that after the November election, the new school board will have to consider if any...

OCPS could consider closing more schools amid falling enrollment

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Declining enrollment is causing new challenges for Orange County Public Schools. The district announced 98 probationary employees currently

OCPS could consider closing more schools amid falling enrollment

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