District finance director outlines enrollment decline, scholarship growth and revenue impact

The district’s finance director presented a data update showing a continuing decline in traditional‑school full‑time‑equivalent (FTE) enrollment alongside rapid growth in state scholarship participation.

The presentation compared the district’s fourth‑calculation FTE totals for 2024 with the current 2025 calculation. The director reported the number of students funded under the state Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) rising from roughly 2,767 to about 5,047 year‑over‑year, while traditional public‑school unweighted FTE dropped by about 397 students in the same period. The increase in scholarship counts includes students who were not previously enrolled in the district and therefore do not fully offset district FTE losses, the director said.

Because Florida’s funding formula includes categorical adjustments and a base student allocation, the district’s adjusted FEFP revenue rose modestly year‑over‑year despite lower traditional enrollment: the director reported an adjusted revenue increase of about $8.4 million compared with the prior year. He cautioned, however, that projected increases in per‑pupil funding in the governor’s proposed budget are small relative to recent years and that continued enrollment declines pose fiscal risk.

The director provided historical context showing a significant drop after the COVID‑19 period that has not fully reversed and urged continued attention to enrollment trends, scholarship tracking and the potential for future budget impacts. Board members asked for further detail about growth drivers and the district’s sensitivity to future enrollment shifts.