OCPS, LIFT Orlando discuss converting Orange Center Elementary to K–8 neighborhood school partnership

Orange County Public Schools and nonprofit LIFT Orlando detailed a proposed public‑private partnership to convert Orange Center Elementary into a K–8 neighborhood school, with district and LIFT officials describing a memorandum of agreement they intend to put on a future school board docket.

The discussion Monday at the school board work session focused on governance, accountability, staffing and timeline. Dr. Vasquez, the superintendent, framed the proposal as an effort to expand an existing neighborhood partnership and asked the board to consider the memorandum of agreement as a way to deepen long‑term investment in the school and surrounding feeder pattern.

The nut of the proposal, as described by Eddie Morton, identified in the meeting as CEO of LIFT Orlando, is a multi‑year partnership that would embed LIFT’s place‑based services — housing, early learning, health and workforce programs — with the school’s operations. Morton said LIFT has invested about $120,000,000 in the neighborhood over the last 13 years and credited that work with cutting childhood poverty in the area and driving a recent enrollment increase of more than 90 students.

Board members asked for specifics. Member Vannell and others pressed on oversight arrangements: the draft would give OCPS a review every five years even if LIFT sought a 15‑year contract, a condition LIFT said it accepted. Board discussion clarified three statutory bases for district oversight of charterlike operators under state law — financial distress, academic performance and material legal violations — and noted the five‑year review was included as an additional accountability step because the model differs from a traditional charter contract.

Governance details raised by members included the composition of the operator’s governing board and an advisory board. Presenters said the proposed governing board for the operating entity would have seven seats, two of which would be appointed by the district’s designated board member for the school; an advisory board would have 12 seats with a district representative included for regular consultation. Member questions confirmed those numbers: “7 seats… 2 seats” and “12 member board” were cited in the meeting.

Members also asked how teacher employment and labor questions would be handled. Morton said teachers would become employees of the neighborhood school operating entity under the Neighborhood Schools Initiative model and he described an intention to offer competitive pay and professional development; district staff confirmed the approach would create “flexibility with accountability” but that union membership and collective bargaining were a separate policy path and not compatible with the flexibility the partnership seeks.

Board members asked for projections and facility capacity details. The presenters said the school’s current enrollment was about 444 students and the facility’s current capacity about 483 students; LIFT shared a five‑year projection that would target roughly 756 students once K–8 expansion completed, adding grades gradually rather than opening all middle grades at once. The group said the school district would continue to own the school asset and would lead capital redevelopment if additional facility work is required to add middle‑school grades.

Timing and next steps were described: district staff said the district would put the memorandum of agreement on an upcoming board meeting agenda for formal consideration and that the earliest operational start year under the conversion timeline would be the 2026–27 school year, with much of the detailed contracting, parent notification and conversion work to follow approval. Presenters also said LIFT and OCPS plan a standard public conversion process for parents and families after board approval.

Board members voiced support and caution. Member Felder repeatedly emphasized her backing and said she planned to nominate community members to the advisory board; members across the board praised the partnership’s wraparound services but sought firm commitments on periodic review, clear performance metrics and preservation of district authority to terminate the arrangement if the school did not meet standards.

The conversation closed without a formal vote. District staff said they would return a finalized MOA for board action at a subsequent meeting and would provide written answers to outstanding questions about statutory waivers, student assignment and curriculum alignment for virtual/online options. Presenters said they hope the partnership model could be replicated in other district neighborhoods if the pilot produces measurable gains.

The board’s discussion provided the outline of the partnership and a set of items the district said it will bring back in writing for board consideration prior to any formal vote.