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School board member urges more funding, full-day pre-K after district reports 6,000 student loss
Summary
School board member Ms. Andrews told the Education Advisory Board the Palm Beach County School District lost about 6,000 students and urged legislators to fully fund security mandates, expand per-pupil funding and provide full-day pre-K during a Nov. 10 address.
At the Nov. 10 Education Advisory Board meeting, school board member Ms. Andrews outlined the district’s legislative priorities and warned about declining enrollment.
Ms. Andrews told the board the Palm Beach County School District was named academically high performing by the Florida Department of Education for 2024–25 and then listed 2026 legislative priorities: fully funding any new security mandates; increasing per-pupil funding, especially for students with disabilities and English-language learners; and expanding full-day, full-time pre-K in every school. "If we are not safe in our schools, then children can't learn," Andrews said while urging lawmakers to fund security and staffing needs.
She also said the district has lost about 6,000 students, a decline she said has occurred across multiple Florida counties, and said the loss reduces available funding and increases pressure to preserve programs and teacher salaries. Andrews credited the local referendum money for supporting arts, music and PE and urged continued support for referenda and state-level funding.
Her remarks closed with a reminder that the district will present a legislative priorities list to the Palm Beach County legislative delegation and urged the advisory board and community to engage with lawmakers as they prepare for the 2026 session.
