ORLANDO, Fla. — Osceola County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff joined Scott Anez on Orlando’s Morning News to discuss back-to-school season, and the enrollment decline that is anticipated to affect funding for the 2025-2026 school year.
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Dr. Shanoff says that Osceola schools are “ready” to welcome students back on Monday.
“It’ll be a great year. We’re really looking forward to it,” Dr. Shanoff said. “We’re opening up two new schools this year, [and] a new transportation facility off of Nova Road.”
The conversation revolved around Osceola’s doubling of the amount of “A-rated” schools in the county this past school year, an achievement Dr. Shanoff attributed to Osceola’s teaching staff, as well as the unique teacher-student relationships that Dr. Shanoff says really makes a difference in the student experience.
READ: OCPS superintendent reports declining enrollment before school year
But there is a problem currently facing Central Florida schools: a sharp decline in enrollment, which Orange County Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez announced during the State of Schools address earlier this year.
According to Vazquez, enrollment has decreased by 25 percent, about 3,000 fewer students than the previous year, a decrease that is projected to lead to an estimated loss of approximately $28 million in state funding.
In efforts to help boost overall enrollment numbers, Orange County said it has hired a recruitment company that specializes in gaining students from private schools, charter schools, and homeschools.
Dr. Shanoff cited a purported lack of funding on a local and federal level, as well as proper teacher training, and key classroom tools as the catalysts for the current “exodus of students” in public school systems. But according to Dr. Shanoff, Osceola is not witnessing as much of a decline in enrollment as other counties, including Orange.
“Being a vendor for these kids and the voucher program helped us offer a home-schooled scholarship, all in hopes of motivating these students take specific classes from homeschools,” he said. “[Osceola still offers] them that scholarship for a wide variety of classes from AP courses, band, to even sciences.”
Dr. Shanoff concluded by saying he is optimistic about the changes Osceola County Schools will be seeing this year.
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