🎒 St. Lucie Schools Face First Enrollment Drop in Decades

St. Lucie County Public Schools is dealing with something that hasn't happened in 15 to 20 years: enrollment dropped instead of grew.

The district typically adds 800 to 1,200 students each year as new families move into the area. But the Florida Empowerment Scholarship expansion changed that. Families can now use scholarships to attend private school, homeschool, or micro schools, and hundreds took that option.

The hit: The district took a $7 million loss in January 2026 when the third enrollment calculation came in. Superintendent Jon Prince told the School Board at Tuesday's workshop that the district has frozen all positions and is working to avoid layoffs.

"We want to make sure that we take care of our own," Prince said at the workshop. He plans to record a message to employees in the next few weeks explaining the budget situation and reassuring staff that the board prioritizes people over everything else.

Where cuts are coming:

• The district office will see proportionally more reductions than school centers
• Teaching and learning remains the top priority
• No layoffs planned, but employees may be moved to different positions they're certified for
• Allocations releasing first week of April will show exact adjustments
• All affected employees will be placed in new positions between May and June

Prince has been meeting privately with individual board members to discuss budget priorities before making any formal recommendations. He's also been in ongoing conversations with union leadership from both CWA and EASEL to keep them informed throughout the process.

The district doesn't anticipate another federal funding cut this year after losing $7 million in federal dollars last year.

Other workshop items: The board also discussed the referendum renewal going on the November 2026 ballot. The 1-mil property tax funds teacher salaries, school resource deputies, and mental health services. It's passed at roughly 70% approval in previous renewals.

The district is also exploring joining FLEET, a nonprofit health insurance trust for Florida school districts, that could save $1.9 million to $3.3 million in the first year alone. Both union partners support exploring the option because savings could eventually go toward employee compensation.

Questions remain: What caused the enrollment drop? Is this a one time issue or the start of a trend? What can St. Lucie County Public Schools do to make itself more appealing to families moving into the area?