TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Leon County School Board held their annual retreat to reflect on the past school year and plan for the future.
- District officials say proposed staffing changes, the potential closure of Leon Virtual School, a 50% cut to arts and athletics, and other reductions could save the disctrict up to $6.8 million.
- Leaders point to declining enrollment as a major funding challenge and hope expanded voluntary Pre-K programs can help bring families back and stay enrolled in the school system.
Watch the video to see what district leaders are saying about budget cuts, enrollment, and what’s next for local schools.
LCS looks at budget cuts, enrollment challenges and expanded Pre-K
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
At the Leon County School Board retreat, district leaders discussed the expansion of Pre-K programs, a move that could allow nearly 800 students to access early education.
I'm Lyric Sloan, your neighborhood reporter in Southwest Tallahassee.
I attended the retreat where district leaders say, although Pre-K programs are expanding, a potential decrease in funding in other areas could impact the programs families rely on.
"Well, this was a hard discussion today. Anytime you're talking about reducing your budget and eliminating positions, it's not an easy conversation," Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna said.
As part of proposed budget adjustments, the district is considering staffing plan changes, while giving principals more autonomy in that decision and possibly closing Leon Virtual Schools.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna says those and other reductions could save between $6.7 and $6.8 million, money that could be redirected to other needs across the district.
"Well, I think that will go to offset increased expenses and then hopefully go for salary increases for our for our teachers and non-instructional employees, " Hanna said.
Board members also spent much of the morning focused on decline enrollment, something leaders say is closely tied to funding.
Officials say enrollment losses are partially driven by school choice and increased dual enrollment, and when students leave the district, state funding leaves with them, making it harder to support neighborhood schools and student services.
"Enrollment numbers are directly tied to revenue, and we need revenue to run our schools. We got an absolutely wonderful trend data presentation from Justin Williamson, our ITS director, and so we know where to go," Leon County Schools Board Chair Marcus Nicolas said.
One strategy district leaders hope will help reverse the trend is expanding voluntary Pre-K programs.
The plan would nearly triple available seats from 295 to almost 800 by adding classrooms and simplifying registration, so students can start school on day one without pre-screening delays.
"What we find is that many of our students that come to us in Pre-K, they've never had an opportunity in a formal school setting. So it's not necessarily that they are a student with a developmental delay or a disability. It's simply a situation where that student hasn't engaged in a formal school setting and they're just learning to be a student," Leon County Schools Director of Early Learning Brooke Brunner said.
Hanna says getting three and four year olds in the classrooms with certified teachers will be able to increase kindergarten readiness scores more efficiently.
In Southwest Tallahassee, Lyric Sloan, ABC 27.
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