ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County School District is taking steps to try and balance its budget after sharing that it is now dealing with a $23 million budget shortage.
The school district held a meeting earlier this week to go over some of the cost-cutting measures it is both planning and has already implemented to try and make up the difference. We reported last week when the district’s superintendent, Dr. Brennan Asplen, told us that the budget shortage was between $10 - $15 million.
This week, Dr. Asplen told us he recently learned that the shortage grew by $8 million dollars after the student body grew at a lower rate than expected for this semester.
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“We didn’t lose kids, but we didn’t grow as much as we thought we would grow,” said Dr. Asplen.
Dr. Asplen told us the slowing growth rate among its student body is partly because more families are getting private school scholarships for their students, but also because families are having fewer children. The Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research shared a recent report saying that pre-K enrollment around the state has been falling since the 2013-2014 school year.
“We’re going to have less school aged children in the future. I think that is starting to take its toll as well,” Dr. Asplen said.
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Last week, Action News Jax reported that St. Johns Technical High School was set to close because of the budget shortage, with a plan to merge the school into St. Augustine High School while allowing students to also utilize the First Coast Technical College campus. This week, the school district shared that it is also considering closing Gaines Alternative School as a cost-cutting measure, with a plan to move students into portable classrooms at First Coast Technical College and do coursework virtually.
The school district has also shared that it is considering cutting $30,000 from each school and increasing class sizes by an average of two students to save money. Florida law says that high-performing school districts, like the St. Johns County School District, are able to exceed the state’s class size limit so that classes are sized based on the average number of students at the school.
Some parents, like Anne Tressler, are worried about the budget cuts having an effect on their children’s education.
“Consolidating schools, increasing class sizes, all of that is very, very concerning,” Tressler, whose kids go to St. Johns County schools, said.
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The district estimates that its currently planned budget cuts would save $21 million dollars. If the district can’t balance its budget by the start of the next school year, it plans to incorporate other budget cuts, such as the closing of other schools.
Tressler said, despite her nerves, she feels confident the district will work to make the impact on families as small as possible.
“I think the district is doing the best that they can with the hands they’re dealt right now. I really do,” said Tressler.
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