ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Declining enrollment and mounting budget pressures are driving a recommendation from Orange County Public Schools to consolidate seven campuses across the district.
District leaders say the move is part of a broader effort to address a loss of more than 8,600 students over the past three years, a trend officials say is expected to continue.
At McCoy Elementary, parents and grandparents say the recommendation came as a shock.
“Listen, they’ve got a phenomenal staff here,” said grandparent Michael Tirik. “And we’re talking about closing one of the best schools in the neighborhood. My daughter went here. This school’s been here since 1965.”
Tirik said community members feel blindsided and question why McCoy is now being considered after money was spent to build new schools nearby.
“They built a big, brand-new school two miles down the road at the Walmart,” he said. ”They put a charter school across the road. Why didn’t we bring those students here instead of spending all of that money?” Tirik said.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said the proposed consolidations could generate significant savings for the district, which she says are needed in part to raise teacher salaries.
“This is going to bring about, I believe, almost $10 million in recurring savings. So, those factors greatly impacted our timeline and why the communication was not prolonged,” Vazquez said.
The recommendation still requires approval from the Orange County School Board.
Vice Chair Maria Salamanca, a former McCoy student, said she has received emails from residents concerned about what could happen to school properties if they close.
“There’s a lot of bad information out there that we’re going to profit off of them, that we’re going to sell them,” Salamanca said. She added that she has asked district staff to be transparent about potential uses for the facilities. “I asked you all to come here with what we are going to do with our facilities and bring the things that are being considered, even if they are early in the works.”
Parents have also raised concerns that children displaced by consolidations could be transferred to lower-performing schools.
“What can they look forward to or hold the school accountable to it that they are not being transferred into less performing schools academically,” Salamanca asked during a board discussion.
“We have the utmost confidence that if this were to go forward, all the students affected at their new schools, that student achievement will remain a priority,” a school official responded.
Despite those assurances, families at McCoy say they are not backing down.
“We’re signing petitions, we are doing everything we can,” said Tirik.
The school board has not yet voted on the superintendent’s recommendation.
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