ORLANDO, Fla. – Local and state education leaders joined students Tuesday as Orange County Public Schools kicked off the new school year at Pershing School in Orlando.
Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez was joined by school board member Alicia Farrant and Florida Education Commissioner Dr. Henry Mack for the first day of classes.
For Vazquez, the occasion carried added significance — it marks her final first day as superintendent. She plans to retire at the end of the school year.
Vazquez, appointed in 2022, reflected on the district’s progress during her tenure.
“I think we can point to a lot of things that we have improved. Not just our school grade, not just our scores, but expanding choice options,” Vazquez said.
The celebration came as Orange County is among several Florida districts grappling with budget challenges driven, in part, by declining enrollment.
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The district has cited declining birthrates, housing trends, federal immigration policies and expansion of Florida’s school voucher program as contributing factors to the drop in student enrollment.
Mack said empowering parents to choose the best education option for their child — while also strengthening public schools — remains a priority.
“We can have both excellent public schools and choice, across the board,” Mack said. “I think it’s an opportunity for the superintendent and the school district to be innovative, to be disruptive, and to not take our foot off the gas.”
Orange County has worked to promote magnet schools, academies and specialty programs available within the public school system.
Melissa Stoby, a parent of two children at Pershing School, said she is confident in her family’s decision to stay in public school and is optimistic heading into the new year.
“I’m rooting for the public education system to succeed, and if it’s working for my children, and it really is, we’re going to support it,” Stoby said.