SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — After 11 years in Leon County Schools, Summer Wilde says her family needed a different learning environment, one she felt better supported her children's academic and emotional needs.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
"You know, peer pressure is a lot in school, and there are bullies, and I just I wanted to avoid all of that," Wilde said.
Wilde's family is one of many choosing education options outside of traditional public schools.
Hoping to reverse that trend, the Leon County School Board approved a one-year partnership with Caissa K12, a company that helps public school districts improve student enrollment and retention. Adrian Bond, President of Caissa K12, says the goal is to understand why families are leaving and what it will take to bring them back.
Bond spoke about how more students can mean more resources for Leon County Schools.
"You know, I don't want to speak to have the district, but having those dollars that can go back into the classroom, having them for extracurricular activities, they're just a host of many things that districts can take advantage of when they have these additional dollars come in through a direct benefit of our services," Bond said.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna says the partnership is about more than enrollment. He says the district wants to listen to parents and use their feedback to improve local schools.
"It could be a great learning experience from us. We'll gain a lot of knowledge of what would we do to drive a family away. What can we do to potentially bring them back so it'll help us make informed decisions and best practices in the future," Hanna said.
While homeschooling remains the best fit for Wilde's family, she says she also understands the impact declining enrollment can have on school funding.
"You know, there's not a price tag on our children. You know, the funding isn't really our problems, but I do understand, like you know, the kids that are in Leon County schools and you know do have to sit in a classroom and they they're going to be the ones hurting," Wilde said.
With the one-year contract now approved by the school board, Caissa K-12 says they can start reaching out to families as soon as the district provides the needed data.
Bond says that outreach will first come in the form of phone calls, and then, when needed, knocking on doors and meeting with families in person.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
