Orange County Public Schools will reassign staff after an unanticipated enrollment decline of more than 6,600 students, Superintendent José Vasquez told the school board on Sept. 9.

Superintendent José Vasquez said the district projected a decrease of roughly 3,000 students but the district’s 10-day count shows a much steeper decline, including about 2,500 students described as immigrants. Vasquez said the enrollment shortfall will change school allocations and lead to personnel reassignments.

“Teachers and support staff will be notified of any reassignments due to the recount process,” Vasquez said. He told the board the district anticipated reassigning about 116 instructional school‑based positions and that the district had 157 current vacancies. Vasquez said teachers would be notified of reassignments on Sept. 12 and would begin new assignments on Sept. 19; classified staff notifications to principals would happen on Sept. 18 with reassigned staff reporting Sept. 20.

Vasquez said the district put a hiring freeze on positions that were in process of being filled; that step, he said, saved roles and allowed the district to reallocate some vacancies to absorb personnel impacts. He cautioned that certification and teacher qualifications would affect whether every reassignment could be filled one‑for‑one.

The superintendent said the recount process provides additional days for principals to create staff plans aligned with updated student counts. He added that families would be notified of changes to classroom assignments as the recalculation process completes.

The board heard the update in the same meeting where it adopted the 2025–26 budget; board members asked for continued updates as the district completes its recalculation and as October surveys confirm longer-term enrollment levels.