Closing the Leon Virtual School is now off the table as the school board gears up for its final vote on budget reductions at its March 24 business meeting.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna presented budget cut recommendations March 23 during the board’s agenda review meeting in hopes of boosting the district’s financial outlook as less funding comes in from the state and more money goes out for operational costs.
“It looks like we’re finally landing the plan on this budget reduction issue and I’m happy for that, but it took us a while to get here and I appreciate the board members because it’s weighed heavy on all of us. I appreciate all the people that have come and spoke at school board meetings over the last several months to share their opinions,” Hanna said.
The reductions Hanna presented on March 23 are different from the cuts he presented Jan. 26 during the board’s annual retreat. The reductions now omit closing the virtual school and specific cuts to staff positions, but the savings tag increased by $1 million to $7.8 million.
The increase in the cuts is to match the projected increase of operational costs for next year, Hanna said. More money is being reduced at district centers in salaries and benefits for administrative employees, increasing the reduction from $1.25 million to $2.3 million.
Currently the operational cost for the virtual school is $459,000 for about 90 students and nine employees. Hanna said the district will have to get “creative” in the future to repurpose the school to reduce costs. He previously said the school has operated at a deficit of nearly $500,000 for about three years.
He also recommended the board grant school principals the autonomy in making staffing cuts based on individual school needs, withdrawing his previous proposal to eliminate roles like social workers, academic interventionists and security monitors.
“Our principals will have the ability within their staffing plan to make the staffing changes and decisions that best fit the needs of their schools, and they’ll continue to have autonomy to make those decisions,” Hanna told the Tallahassee Democrat Monday.
Principals will have to confirm their cost savings plan about a month after the staffing plan is approved and sent out, Hanna said, which could be mid-May.
Here are the revised reductions:
The board members agreed to vote in favor of Hanna’s slate of reductions at the next meeting.
“I know not one of us up here wants to make these cuts,” board member Rosanne Wood said. “Every school is unique in our district and has different needs, and I think this approach allows the principals and their leadership team to really examine what the highest needs are at their schools.”
Despite her feelings of “disappointment” with Hanna’s cuts, school board member Alva Smith, who has been adamant about closing underenrolled schools, said she plans to vote in support of the recommendation and return to the discussion of consolidation at another time.
“I have a lot of respect for my fellow board members, and I do want us to move forward together in a positive direction, and hopefully we can see more change down the road, but I guess it’s just not the right time right now,” Smith said after the meeting.
Hanna said the reductions would be revisited after state lawmakers finish a budget for 2026-27, but he isn’t optimistic the district will receive enough to avoid cuts.
The board will vote to approve the cuts at its 6 p.m. business meeting on Tuesday, March 24. The public is encouraged to attend.
Alaijah Cross covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at abrown@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Virtual school spared ahead of Leon budget cuts
Reporting by Alaijah Cross, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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