CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — The Charlotte County School Board approved its tentative budget Thursday night, passing a spending plan for the upcoming school year that includes a projected $9.5 million shortfall.
The district’s total tentative budget is $555,093,183. The gap comes from a combination of delayed federal grant funding, increased state withholdings for students using Family Empowerment Scholarships, and higher required contributions to the Florida Retirement System.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on Charlotte County Public Schools tentative 2025-2026 budget:
To cover the shortfall, the school district plans to use reserve funds while also cutting costs outside the classroom. Chief Financial Officer Marcus Allen said the strategy was built around the goal of protecting students from any impacts.
“Students are our number one priority,” Allen told Fox 4. “So we're trying to make those strategic decisions on the things that'll be the least impactful to students. We're prioritizing resources that are in front of students first. That's teachers, that's paras [paraprofessionals], things like that.”
The cost-saving plan includes a hiring freeze, limited out-of-county travel, and reorganized administrative roles. Allen emphasized the district’s approach focuses on retaining personnel.
“We're prioritizing people over programs, students know teachers,” Allen said. “They don't care what program they're using or what textbook we're buying.”
More funding could still be on the way. Allen said the district is still waiting on final state calculations and federal award letters that could reduce the shortfall before the final budget is adopted in September.
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