VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County Schools are facing a significant budget deficit of about $25 million. The school board will meet Tuesday in a workshop to discuss their options, which may include making cuts and changing the student-to-staff ratios.
The numbers are clear: when there is a big deficit, the district must find ways to make up for it.
According to the board’s agenda for the meeting, the district is considering two main strategies to address this issue. First, they will re-evaluate staff ratios, and second, they plan to launch an enrollment campaign aimed at bringing more students back to public schools.
One of the major reasons for budget problems in many districts, including Volusia, is declining enrollment.
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“As more and more school choice has been available, we’ve had to adjust our programs and our spending,” said Ruben Colon, the school board vice chair.
Colon emphasized that the board will have to make tough choices this year. Enrollment in public schools has been dropping since the pandemic.
“$25 million is undoubtedly a lot of money, but just to put it into context, we have a $1.5 billion budget,” Colon explained.
He added that the district must make adjustments to achieve a zero-dollar deficit, which is required by law. With the state legislature currently in session, the district is also waiting to learn about the state budget and how it will affect student funding.
“We really have to make strong business decisions with our school district, and that’s going to involve some things some people may or may not like,” said board member Krista Goodrich.
Goodrich mentioned that the board will closely examine program participation as another potential area for cuts.
“I know we’re going to try to retain teachers as best as we can, and we’re certainly still working on trying to make improvements on teacher pay. But there are other places in the district where we could make cuts that would make it a more effective machine,” she said.
The school board’s workshop to discuss these important issues will take place Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. in DeLand.
