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Orange School District work session, May 5, 2026

3 h 23 min · 0 public speakers

School closures ▶ 42:31Enrollment ▶ 12:52Vouchers and school choice ▶ 1:58:34

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 23 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Orange County facilities update projects only 2 new relief schools over next 10 years 13:33

  • The board held a work session to discuss the facilities update, and Maria Salamanca said no action would be taken and there would be no public comment period. 7:39
  • District staff presented the annual facilities update, saying only 2 new schools are required over the next 10 years based on declining enrollment projections and that needs are estimated at approximately $5 billion over the next 10 years. 15:25
  • Board members asked about school impact fees and capacity agreements, portable classrooms and the planned centralization of custodial services. 37:44
  • Maria Salamanca adjourned the session after the board's questions. 3:21:41

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Item by item (11)
  1. Opening 7:39
    • Maria Salamanca said the work session was scheduled for the purpose of discussing the facilities update and that the public would not have an opportunity to provide public comment. 7:39
    • The meeting included the Pledge of Allegiance. ~8:33
  2. Facilities strategy and capital needs 9:52
    • The superintendent said the district had reorganized and moved facilities and procurement under the chief executive officer for strategy and infrastructure. 9:52
    • A staff member thanked county residents for the half penny sales surtax and recognized the district's citizens construction oversight committee. 11:01
    • The staff member said the average cost to build a new elementary school is more than double what it was in 2019 and that needs are estimated at approximately $5 billion over the next 10 years. 15:46
  3. New schools, capacity and impact fees 20:10
    • A staff member said the district projects a decrease of more than 10,000 students over the next 5 years and that only 2 relief schools, both in the Apopka area, are recommended to open within the next 10 years. 20:10
    • The staff member said portable classrooms have been reduced by 70%, from 4,337 to 1,295, over the past 20 years. 20:10
    • The staff member said school impact fees were last updated in 2021 and an update study is underway. 20:10
  4. Questions on enrollment and capacity agreements 35:34
    • One board member asked the district to look at CEAs and, where possible, return money already collected or not collect it, saying it felt disingenuous to take money not used to increase student stations. 41:00
    • The superintendent said that if the district returns any dollars, it would be done after a rezoning has been approved. 45:14
    • A staff member said the impact fee draft report would go to the advisory committee and then to the board in September. 51:30
  5. Board comments on portables and relief schools 51:57
    • Melissa Byrd asked how many of the 1,295 portables are used as classrooms, and a staff member said close to 900. 52:02
    • One board member said the district cannot justify building a $250 million high school when there are empty seats at another high school. 58:34
    • One board member said they would like to stop $14 million in bathroom renovations and reassign the funds, and another board member said single-use bathrooms are important for many students. 1:02:24
  6. Open enrollment and student generation 1:14:57
    • Maria Salamanca asked how actively families use open enrollment and whether it affects enrollment projections. 1:15:25
    • A staff member said each dwelling type has a different student generation rate and estimated about a third of a student per house as a rule of thumb. 1:19:24
  7. Renovations and capital renewal 1:24:07
    • A staff member said Orange Technical College South Campus replacement is the one remaining school from the original list of 136, with construction anticipated in 2027 and completion in 2029. 1:25:49
    • The staff member said approximately 3,000 restrooms will receive vape detection devices and the direct purchase program has generated nearly $40 million in sales tax savings since 2011. 1:36:10
  8. Board questions on renovations and community meetings 1:39:10
    • One board member asked for a shift in how comprehensive renovations are approached so schools become more competitive on programs and facilities. 1:46:01
    • A staff member said a state statute allows the board to adopt exceptions to facilities construction requirements and that staff would bring back a list of what could be waived, and one board member said they would support adding the issue to the legislative platform. 2:01:46
    • A staff member said staff are reviewing the community meeting process and will bring recommendations to the board, and one board member said they were hesitant about going only virtual. 2:20:05
  9. Maintenance and custodial services 2:31:03
    • A staff member said median work order completion time improved from around 12 days last year to around 7 days this year and that custodial services will move to a centralized reporting structure next school year. 2:33:08
    • Vicki-Elaine Felder asked about the district-managed model, and a staff member said elementary and middle schools move to that model July 1st. 2:36:48
  10. Space optimization and economic impact 2:42:43
    • A staff member said the district forecasts a reduction in 10-year needs compared to last year, due largely to delayed needs for additional capacity. 2:44:37
    • The staff member said construction expenditures of almost $3 billion generated an average of 3,000 jobs each year and local economic output estimated to exceed $4.5 billion. 2:45:37
  11. Final board questions 2:48:03
    • Angie Gallo asked why custodial services were going back to being centralized, and a staff member said the district had again begun to hear and see inconsistencies with job duties and responsibilities. 2:48:22
    • One board member suggested a student employment program for students 16 and up, and a staff member cited a state law requiring district employees to be 18. 2:56:59
    • Alicia Farrant asked about the cost of centralization, and a staff member cited a projected roughly $800,000 savings from a procurement change. 3:02:26

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

Do you know the percentage or if there's a number where you've had concerns where some of the custodial services were not done to the expectation of this district?Vicki-Elaine Felder · Board member2:38:02
You know, we still have an affordability crisis in Orange County. So anytime that we could take one of these buildings and turn it into some type of affordable housing for our employees, that would be fabulous. We have aging employees. So an affordable senior housing project would be awesome.Angie Gallo · Board member2:54:23
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Video: posted by the district as “OCPS | 2026-05-05 School Board Work Session”