Hillsborough County Public Schools is facing a $18.3 million deficit because of cuts from the county and state and a decline in full-time enrollment.
In Tuesday’s school board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Jamie Lewis said roughly $11 million in cuts were from enrollment declines.
The third count for the school year came back later than usual due to the hurricanes, but showed fewer students were enrolled. The budget cuts also considered last school year’s final enrollment numbers, which also showed a decline.
ALSO READ: School districts beg Florida lawmakers not to slash bonuses for accelerated students
But Lewis reassured the board that enrollment is expected to bounce back when results from a fourth count are back in a few weeks.
"The only reason there is a differential right now is because of our virtual students,” Lewis said. “We cannot receive funding, and they cannot be counted as an FTE until they complete and pass the course."
Board member Lynn Gray said the drop in enrollment may be a result of students picking Florida Virtual Schools over the county’s virtual option or more students using vouchers for school choice.
Superintendent Van Ayres countered concerns over declining numbers, saying total enrollment was actually higher than this year’s projected 174,000.
Hillsborough County schools also lost around $3 million in funding after the county adjusted its property tax allocations.
Another $4.1 million was axed by the state, which is $231 million over budget.
The state cuts were made to all counties.
"That is unavoidable,” Lewis said. “We couldn't do anything to stop that."
To cover the gap, the county will use its budget reserves, which is at its highest point right now at around $283 million.
In addition to covering a lack of funding, the reserves are used to recover after hurricanes.
District leaders expect the reserves to drop nearly 15% while making up for the loss of funding.
