BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis held a roundtable on Thursday with like-minded medical experts who support his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I talk to parents, they will all say, ‘my kids are happy to be back in school,’” DeSantis said.
DeSantis also spoke about his criticism of lockdowns, contact tracing and how the governor’s critics are pushing back.
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Some school leaders said shrinking student enrollment during the pandemic could cost them $20 million.
Brevard Public Schools leaders are afraid the district could see less money in the fall because of lower student enrollment.
“I think about 1,500 students went into home school,” Brevard Public Schools Boar Chair Misty Belford said.
Records show about 90 kids in the county are unaccounted for, and thousands went the virtual route.
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The district gets paid for Brevard Virtual School students, but not Florida Virtual School kids.
Belford says there’s hope because the governor seems keen to fund based on projected enrollment, but other lawmakers want funding tied to actual enrollment data.
“The big mystery is whether or not the Senate and the House are going to agree to that,” she said.
But will less money lead to some teachers’ jobs being cut?
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“We are 100% sure that no teachers get laid off,” said Kyle Savage with the Brevard Federation of Teachers.
But the union fears much-needed resources could be slim.
The district said support staff could see cuts.
The district is sounding the alarm because it knows after this year, support will be needed in the fall.
See the full report in the video above.
Cox Media Group
