Orange County Public Schools may pay consultant to recruit students back to public classrooms
Orange County Public Schools could soon pay a consultant nearly $1,000 per student to help bring families back to traditional public schools.
The school board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to approve the student recruitment proposal. The plan would allow a private vendor to reach out to families who have left the district for charter, private or homeschool options and encourage them to re-enroll.
According to board documents, the vendor would be paid $935 for each student they help bring back to OCPS — meaning if 1,000 students re-enroll, that could cost nearly $1 million.
An OCPS spokesperson said that figure would be dwarfed by the amount in state funding the district would receive as a result.
Michael Ollendorf said the school district receives approximately $9,000 per student, which would result in nearly $9 million in state funding if those 1,000 students returned to the classroom.
“We’ve seen a decline in enrollment over the last several years, in part due to COVID and in large part due to taxpayer-funded scholarships,” OCPS School Board Member Angie Gallo said. “What we’re trying to do is market OCPS, put out all the good things we’re doing, and show families that Orange County is a great choice for their student.”
District leaders project enrollment will be down by more than 3,000 students this year. They cite changing demographics and the expansion of state-funded Family Empowerment Scholarships — which allow students to attend private schools at public expense — as major contributing factors.
Orange County isn’t alone in facing enrollment-related challenges. Volusia County Schools recently reported a $25.8 million budget shortfall, also tied to a drop in enrollment.
“If we’re going to survive, we’re going to have to be innovative, creative, and engaging,” Gallo said. “There’s so much choice out there. We have to be able to compete.”
If approved, recruitment efforts in Orange County would begin later this spring.
News 6 has also reached out to the district to ask whether budget cuts may be necessary if enrollment continues to decline. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.