School district grappling with budget cuts
The School District of Lee County is feeling the impact of students leaving its public schools for education elsewhere.
Florida’s student-based funding model means dollars follow the student and funds are allocated based on each school’s enrollment.
Fewer students mean fewer dollars and fewer dollars means the district is looking at cuts despite earmarking capital funds to existing schools, officials said.
Some schools have operated with staffing and resources that exceeded what enrollment-based funding supported, officials said, adding the upside of realignment will bring consistency, transparency, and accountability to how taxpayers’ dollars are distributed across the district. The downside, though, may mean cut programs and fewer teachers.
School Board member Debbie Jordan said they have not received the state budget yet.
“This is what is very loosely being discussed when we are speaking about the budget,” she said. “The operations (budget) is under the superintendent. The superintendent and her team are the ones that are instructing the principals.”
Principals were directed to develop and submit budget plans for the 2026-2027 school year with classroom instruction prioritization.
According to the district, schools are streamlining positions and shifting resources to support student achievement, as well as streamlining noninstructional administration staffing. Some of the coaching roles are being converted into teaching positions to consolidate roles as well.
Jordan said she has requested a meeting with more time with the district’s CFO, as she wants to know what those numbers really look like. She said Thursday she had not heard back yet regarding the meeting.
“You have how the state runs it – money is following students. I don’t know what that looks like. Some schools told me 22% cut, 13% cut. It depends on the school,” Jordan said. “Of course we don’t want just people not doing anything. If there is no purpose for that position, or units, I understand that.”
She said the school budget is just like one at home – when expenses are high, you have to pick and choose what you are going to keep and not keep.
“We know expenses have gone up – fuel for the buses is up, food costs are up. Everything in general is up. How do you make that work? The money is not up, and it doesn’t match,” Jordan said.
Although some of the schools have a deficit, or declining enrollment, other schools are maxed out.
She said principals must make decisions on what is best, what they have to do for their schools with the amount of money that is allocated to them.
Jordan used Edison Park Elementary School as an example, as they do not have a declining enrollment.
“However, they have an amount they have to deduct from their budget, so now the principal needs to decide what that looks like – is it the arts program, dean, reading coach?” Jordan said. “It’s based on the district giving that to the principals and saying this is what you have, figure it out.”
She said it is a very emotional time because they are speaking about people’s lives, their livelihood, and their families.
“They are not just a unit, they are people,” Jordan said. “There is a lot of stress out there.”
With the state not releasing its budget yet, she said teachers are wondering if they have a job.
“I have called our legislators. We do need to know what that is going to look like,” she said of state-provided funding. “Every year they have predictions of money, and we are trying to guesstimate how many people we will have. You want to make sure that you are getting as close as you possibly can to that figure.”
Jordan said with an elected superintendent some things are going to be different.
“There is so much at one time happening,” she said. “It’s a lot for people to digest.”
The district office reduced its budget by $15.9 million last year, with an additional $6.5 million in reductions proposed for this year. A department-by-department review is taking place to further identify savings, as well as eliminate unnecessary overhead.
The district has started the second phase of the budget process by reviewing school budgets line by line to ensure schools have the resources they need. According to the district, additional funding requests are being evaluated to support such areas as the arts and athletics.
“Taxpayers expect fiscal discipline, and that is exactly what we are delivering,” said Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin in a prepared statement. “These efforts are about reducing waste, not cutting the budget for education, athletics, or the arts. Too much money has drifted away from the classroom, and to stay in line with the state’s funding model, we must realign spending so it follows the student based on current enrollment. Our top priorities will always be improving student achievement, strengthening school security, and paying our teachers more. By eliminating waste and unnecessary spending, we can direct more resources to those priorities while also reducing overall costs. This realignment is designed to deliver long-term results and put our district on a stronger, more fiscally responsible path.”
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com