OCPS faces bus shortage, declining enrollment as school begins

Orange County Public Schools is facing several challenges as the new year begins.

OCPS is expected to see a reduction in enrollment by about 3,000 students because of lower birth rates and the state’s voucher program. With hopes of recuperating the decrease in enrollment, the district has entered a partnership with Caissa Public Strategy LLC. 

Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said the efforts to bring students back into the district include direct phone calls, mass communications and other outreach.

She said the district already has recuperated “a couple hundred families” with hopes there will be more throughout the school year.

Because of the projected decrease in enrollment, Chief Facilities Officer Rory Salimbene said there will be a pause in new schools until 2031. 

“That pause doesn’t mean that we’re not building new schools,” he said. “We are busier than we’ve ever been. We have (more than) $1 billion in projects in construction this summer.”

The district has active projects in place for replacements of a STEAM Academy, Orlando Gifted Academy and Orange County Virtual School. The district also will continue with the opening of two new elementary schools next school year, including a school in Horizon West. 

Teresa Jacobs, chair of the Orange County School Board, said the hold on $18 million of federal funding for critical programs, including Title I programs, has been lifted. 

“I want to thank our community and our elected officials for their support and standing by our school district and districts across the nation during this difficult time, despite the challenges facing public schools, and there are challenges facing public schools,” she said. “We are excited to begin this new year. We have confidence in our teachers, professional support staff, administrations and most importantly, we have confidence in our students, their families and this community.”

Communication changes also will be new to this school year as the district starts to use Parent Square to connect and communicate with families. All messages, including from the classroom, school and district, will be from Parent Square, which will translate the messages into more than 100 languages based on preference. 

Another communications tool will be Let’s Talk, which will help families gain access to information more swiftly, Vazquez said. Let’s Talk uses AI to help families find information quickly. Families will be able to ask a question, and Let’s Talk will point them in the correct direction.

The district is searching for more bus drivers as the driver shortage persists. The district would need between 150 and 200 new drivers to be fully staffed.

OCPS will have to continue doing double-back routes, meaning buses will have to make two runs to the high schools, dropping one group of students off at the schools around 6:30 a.m. followed by another group before the start of school. Bill Wen, the senior director of transportation, said as a result of the doublebacks, buses might run at least 30 minutes late.

With the hustle and bustle of a new school year, Vazquez is thrilled to welcome students back.