Teachers, advocates press board on cuts and Legacy Scholars transition; district pledges support for affected students

Multiple speakers used the April 22 public‑comment period to press the Volusia County School Board for transparency about budget cuts and to plead for preservation of classroom and ESE positions.

Laura Bouchard, a teacher and union steward at Taylor Middle‑High School, told the board she was "concerned that once again, the district is talking about budget shortfalls" and that instructional and support positions were vulnerable. "It seems anytime there is a budget shortfall, teachers are always the first to go, which hurts the students," Bouchard said.

Retiree and former administrator Mary Tilford recounted a long career in Volusia schools and said that while the district had been described as "pretty good" in February, by April it was publishing a $25.8 million shortfall. "So are we good or bad?" she asked. "Please remember, students should always come first. They are human beings, not human capital."

Representatives of Legacy Scholars Academy, a small program on the Residing Hope Children’s Home campus that serves students who have experienced trauma, told the board the program was slated to close and warned of harmful effects if the school were shuttered. Melanie Burton, speaking for Legacy Scholars, said the school had educated roughly 500 trauma‑affected students over the past decade and that external resources provided by Residing Hope allowed the program to serve a population with intensive needs. "Closing our school will retraumatize our students," Burton told the board, and said the facility’s operating costs had been characterized as excessive in the district’s financial accounting.

District staff responded that the closure and transition had been difficult and that officials had worked directly with Legacy leadership. John Cash and Stephanie Workman said district teams met with Legacy Scholars leadership and the children’s home and described efforts to arrange wraparound services for students as they move into district schools. "We are not abandoning them," Cash said. He explained the district had been providing staff‑level supports and that Legacy’s education liaison would continue to help coordinate services during any transition. Cash said the district had served roughly 17–25 Legacy students in recent months and that the program operated with a higher adult‑to‑student ratio than a typical public classroom.

Other commenters at the meeting urged a thorough review of district spending and asked whether district leadership positions had been examined as an alternative to cutting instructional roles. Marta Pascale, a retired administrator who now works in real estate, urged the board to consider procurement timing and RFP language when soliciting vendors for district projects. Several staff and board members noted they had heard many of these concerns and said the board provides regular pre‑meeting briefings for members and that staff would continue to share detailed budget breakdowns and options.

Why it matters: Teachers and community members said they are worried proposed reductions to staff or programs will directly affect student services and classroom supports. District leaders said legal, contractual and categorical funding rules constrain which funds can be used for operating costs, and promised to continue working with schools and community partners to protect students and preserve services where possible.

What’s next: The board did not adopt any budget‑cutting measure at this meeting. Staff said follow‑up budget discussions and staffing decisions will continue in subsequent meetings and recommended the board request and review line‑item level options before final decisions.