Nearly 100 teachers at Orange County schools could lose jobs amid enrollment declines
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Nearly 100 Orange County Public Schools teachers could lose their jobs as the district continues to deal with the effects of declining enrollment.
The district said Tuesday that during its annual staffing recalculation, 212 instructional positions were identified for "reassignment" based on the enrollment needs.
Most of those positions, which include Professional Service Contract and Annual Contract teachers, were placed in positions for the school year, the district said in a statement.
But a remaining 98 probationary employees, mostly new hires, have been "displaced" and are left without assignments for the upcoming school year.
Officials said they are working with impacted teachers on placements, but the district currently only has about 20 vacancies.
"The district remains committed to supporting affected employees throughout this process while ensuring that all classrooms are staffed with appropriately certified educators and that students continue to receive high-quality instruction," the district said in a statement.
The district has experienced significant enrollment declines in the past few years, which has affected the amount of funding it receives from the state.
Hiring freeze and budget cuts
Earlier this month, OCPS announced a temporary hiring freeze in response to declining student enrollment.
The announcement came just weeks after the school district, one of the largest in the state, said that enrollment fell by about 7,600 students from the previous year—far more than it had expected.
The district has blamed the decline on several factors, including declining birth rates, affordability challenges and the expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers.
The OCPS school board also recently approved cutting millions from the budget for the upcoming school year.
The Source: This story was written based on information released by Orange County Public Schools and from previous FOX 35 reporting.