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Flagler, Volusia approve interlocal agreement to let students attend across county line
Summary
The Flagler County School Board on April 22 unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with Volusia County allowing students who live along the county line to enroll in neighboring-county schools to reduce lengthy bus commutes and preserve neighborhood choice.
The Flagler County School Board on April 22 unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with Volusia County that allows students who live on or near the county line to enroll in schools across the border as if those schools were in their home zone.
Board members and staff said the agreement is intended to reduce lengthy bus rides for families in the southern portion of Flagler County and to preserve neighborhood choice. "It will just allow our students who are straddling, county lines to attend schools with their friends and neighbors, even though it is across another county," said Lisa Divina, who presented the agreement to the board.
The board’s vote formalizes terms discussed in a workshop and in board meetings over the past year. Superintendent Moore said the agreement "gives our students some greater choice to allow for them to continue to go to school here in Flagler County or ... to go to Volusia County as if that were their zone." She and staff said the arrangement is a wash financially at present: there is no exchange of additional funds beyond the usual FTE allocation that follows each student.
The agreement sets an annual meeting to review the arrangement and includes procedures to rescind an individual student’s enrollment for disciplinary or other reasons. District legal counsel summarized how the interlocal fits with state provisions on school choice and controlled open enrollment: out-of-county applicants may attend if there is capacity, but they are not prioritized over in-county students.
Board members and staff described travel-time pressures in the area the agreement targets. Staff said some Flagler students in the Hunters Ridge/Airport Road area and adjacent neighborhoods face bus rides of an hour or more one way; the new agreement allows families an option to enroll in a nearer Volusia school where that better fits their needs. Officials said the number of affected students from each county is roughly equal and estimated to be in the low dozens.
The board approved the interlocal by motion, with Christie Chong moving and Lauren Ramirez seconding; the item passed unanimously. Board members said the agreement can be discontinued if future development or capacity changes make it no longer desirable for Flagler County.
Clarifying details recorded during the discussion included: staff estimating approximately 40 students affected, that base student funding (FTE) would follow enrolled students with no net transfer of additional local funds, and that the agreement contains explicit revocation procedures including warnings and notification requirements.
The board approved the agreement after extended discussion and legal clarification. The agreement takes effect under the terms recorded in the interlocal document between the two districts.
