Orange County board advances staff plan to proceed with seven school consolidations after work session

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County School Board on Tuesday reviewed a district plan to consolidate seven underenrolled schools and gave staff direction to move several proposals forward for formal rule development and public hearings, the board said at a work session that did not include public comment or votes.

Superintendent Doctor Vasquez told the board the district has experienced “sustained enrollment declines. Nearly 6,000 students in the last year and more than 8,600 over the last 3 years,” and that the trend contributed to an “estimated operational reduction in revenues of more than $41,000,000 for the 2025–26 school year.” She said staff identified seven schools for potential consolidation based on long‑term enrollment trends, proximity to newer or recently renovated schools, and capacity shortfalls.

The work session focused on presentations from district staff and detailed questions from board members about how the consolidations would affect particular student groups and neighborhoods. Miss Stacy Neal, who led the staff presentations, reviewed the rezoning timeline: a rule‑development workshop on Feb. 3, a public hearing on March 10 at 5:30 p.m., and a planned implementation for the 2026–27 school year beginning in August 2026.

For Bonneville Elementary, staff presented two rezoning options and an additional variant created after community meetings that keeps the nearby Solace subdivision in Eastlake’s attendance zone. Member Gallo said, “I like option 2 better,” arguing the revised option would preserve continuity for families who have toured Eastlake and would reduce disruption. The board gave consensus direction to advance option 2 and to include the Solace subdivision in the advertised option for the rule‑development meeting; no formal motion or roll‑call vote was taken.

Board members pressed staff for more detail on placements for students in self‑contained ESE units and for VE pre‑K, and they asked that staff convene one‑on‑one transition meetings with affected families after decisions are formalized. Doctor Vasquez and staff said unit placement is driven by individual education plans and by existing center‑school configurations; staff also said they try not to place more than four program units at a single receiving school to avoid overtaxing resources.

Members raised transportation and safety concerns for several receiving schools. For Meadowwoods moving to Southwood Elementary, members asked staff to review traffic patterns and to coordinate with county or city agencies on signal timing near a nearby railroad crossing. Staff said projections assume some families will remain on open enrollment or choose alternative options, and that enrollment declines should reduce pressure within a short period, but acknowledged a possible short‑term capacity squeeze in some sites.

Several board members characterized the consolidations as the product of both falling enrollment and state funding practices. Member Felder urged continued advocacy in Tallahassee, saying the board has repeatedly pressed legislators for transportation and other line‑item funding; Doctor Vasquez said she would schedule a dedicated work session on funding and legislative strategy.

The board directed staff to advance the staff recommendations for the other identified schools — Union Park Middle, Chickasaw, Eccleston, McCoy, Meadowwoods and Orla Vista — for the rule‑development and public‑hearing steps. The district will reopen survey links and continue community engagement before the Feb. 3 workshop and the March 10 public hearing. The work session concluded with no final votes; the board plans follow‑up briefings for ESE unit placement, traffic/safety reviews and a legislative/funding work session.

Reporting note: The session was a work session at which the board did not take formal votes; this article attributes statements only to speakers named in the transcript or to district staff as a group.