Budget for new school year could mean cuts, increased class sizes
Budget for new school year could mean cuts
The Florida Legislature has approved this year’s budget, and it now heads to the governor’s desk. It does add funding, but not enough to keep up with inflation, according to analysis, and some districts are already having to make cuts.
ORLANDO, Fla. - School districts across Central Florida say they are facing uncertainty over how much state funding they will receive next school year, as lawmakers approved a sweeping education budget without clearly specifying how dollars will be divided between public schools, charter schools, and private voucher programs.
Where Money Is Going:
The budget talks about money "provided for school districts and charter schools" but doesn’t say how that’ll get divided up. Schools still don’t know how much money they will actually get.
"They didn't clearly delineate the dollars between those that come to public schools and those that are going to again, unaccountable voucher programs, homeschool programs, charter schools," said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. "School districts are scrambling to kind of make their best guess as to where things are going to end up. And with, again, those voucher dollars co-mingled with the public school dollars, it's really, really hard for districts to know how much money they ultimately have available."
School Districts Response:
Orange County Public Schools said it is still analyzing the legislative budget and awaiting action from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"While there is a 1.57% increase in per-student funding as part of the proposal, that would not be enough to keep up with inflationary costs," the district said in a statement.
Lake County Schools is projecting a $8 million shortfall.
"Because of the anticipated shortfall in funding from the state, we are leaving some vacant positions open for next school year and, where we can, we are using funding from other sources to help make up for the loss," a district spokesperson said.
Marion County Public Schools is facing a $9 million shortfall. Officials there blame the phaseout of pandemic-era federal relief (ESSER) and the expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, which redirects public funds to private and homeschool settings.
"The biggest budget impacts for us are ESSER dollars ending and Family Empowerment Scholarships increasing," the district said. "We are educating more students than ever, and Marion County overall is experiencing explosive growth."
Two new elementary schools are scheduled to open this August in Marion County, with a new high school set for 2026.
Volusia County Schools declined to comment on the proposed budget. A district spokesperson and District 5 School Board Member Ruben Colón said they are still reviewing the legislative package. Other board members did not respond to a request for comment.
What's next:
The governor has not yet signed the education budget. Until then, districts say it’s difficult to plan staffing, programming, and other operations for the upcoming school year.
Clarification: After our report, Lake County clarified that it has an $8 million shortfall, not $3 million. FOX 35 has updated the article.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Florida Legislature, Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association, and school districts in Lake, Orange, Marion and Volusia counties.