Latest news with #MariaVazquez
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
OCPS superintendent reports declining enrollment before school year
The Orange County Public School board members present their findings regarding the decline in enrollment for the upcoming academic year, alongside the measures being implemented to address this issue. The Orange County superintendent says enrollment is down by 25 percent ahead of the upcoming school year. At yesterday's State of Schools address, Dr. Maria Vazquez addressed a crowd, saying that a drop of three thousand students could result in a loss of around $28 million in state funding. To enhance those figures, the district engaged a recruitment firm that specializes in attracting students from private, charter, and homeschooling systems. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pictures: 2025 OCPS State of the Schools address
Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs and OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez deliver the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives, including efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism in OCPS' 213 schools. OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the U.S, serving more than 200,000 students. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez and Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs listen as they are introduced to deliver the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, left, and OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez go to embrace after together delivering the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives, including efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism in OCPS' 213 schools. OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the U.S, serving more than 200,000 students. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, with OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez, right, welcomes OCPS police officer Brian Howart and his firearms detection dog Coco for an impromptu appearance onstage during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez delivers remarks during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs delivers remarks during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, with and OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez, listen as they are introduced to deliver the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez applauds the district reading scores during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, with OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez, right, introduces OCPS police officer Brian Howart and his firearms detection dog Coco for an impromptu appearance onstage during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez delivers remarks during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs and OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez applaud teachers during the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives and efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism during the annual address. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 11Orange County School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, left, gets a hug from OCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez after they delivered the 2025 State of the Schools address at Innovation High School in Orlando, Monday, June 9, 2025. Jacobs and Vazquez updated community leaders, educators and elected officials on the success of district-wide initiatives, including efforts to combat declining enrollment and absenteeism in OCPS' 213 schools. OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the U.S, serving more than 200,000 students. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)Expand
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orange school board to pay consultant to lure back OCPS students
The Orange County School Board will pay a consultant almost $1,000 for every former public school student it can lure back into the school system, an effort it hopes will boost enrollment and provide information on why some parents have opted for private schools or homeschooling. The agreement, approved unanimously Tuesday night, gives the task of recruiting back former Orange County Public School students to Caissa Public Strategy LLC, a Tennessee-based public relations firm. The contract comes as OCPS expects to lose about 3,100 students and $27.8 million in state funding for next school year — a loss that means 2% budget cuts across the board and has prompted fears of teacher layoffs. The district has largely blamed the state's expansion of the voucher program — which are taxpayer-funded scholarships for private and homeschool — for its declining enrollment. Florida expanded vouchers in 2023, wiping out family income requirements, and voucher use has jumped 67% since then. Because schools are funded on a per-pupil basis, declining enrollment means a drop in state money. Though some costs drop when enrollment declines, some school costs are fixed, such as air conditioning a campus or paying a principal, so fewer students hurts district budgets. The district said it's goal was to inform families of the opportunities available at their local public schools and encourage them to return. 'This initiative provides a new avenue for OCPS to promote its schools and highlight the strong educational opportunities available to students and families who live in Orange County and are not enrolled in OCPS,' said Superintendent Maria Vazquez in a statement. The contract begins Wednesday and runs through Dec. 31. According to the agreement, Caissa will receive $935 'for each formerly enrolled OCPS student who re-enrolls in OCPS and attends a district operated school for 30 days.' The firm is only paid if a student is brought back to OCPS. The district receives about $8,950 per student from the state, meaning OCPS would net about $8,000 per student recruited back to public schools. So if 1,000 students return to OCPS, the district would net an additional $8 million from the state after paying the firm about $935,000. Board member Stephanie Vanos said in a text message that she hopes the effort provides the district needed information on why some parents have left OCPS. 'My hope is that it enables the district to better understand why some families are choosing not to attend their public school and can help guide our decisions and allocation of resources in the future,' she wrote.
