The 48,093 students who walked into St. Johns County classrooms on Monday, Aug. 10, started the year in a district that cut 130 teaching positions, pulled 150 portable classrooms off campuses and stripped $30,000 in discretionary funds from every school to close a $23 million budget hole, according to St. Johns Community Website reporting.
One day later, the School Board held a public comment meeting at the district's administrative building at 40 Orange St. in St. Augustine, giving parents their first formal chance to tell board members what those cuts look like inside their children's schools.
Full minutes from the Tuesday, Aug. 11, meeting have not been published. The district's meeting notice confirms the session took place; outcomes and any board action remain pending.
Enrollment Miss and Voucher Growth Drove the Shortfall
St. Johns County built its 2026-27 budget expecting 4% enrollment growth. It got about 1%, roughly 1,000 fewer students than planned. Florida funds schools per pupil, so the miss triggered an $8 million deficit for the prior year and a projected $15 million shortfall for the year that started Aug. 10.
The state's expanded voucher program compounds the squeeze. About 6,000 St. Johns County students now use vouchers, redirecting per-pupil dollars out of the district while fixed costs for buses, buildings, meals and special education stay put.
Opening-day enrollment hit 48,093, the district said on Facebook, up 441 students (0.93%) from the prior year. That pace still trails the 4% the budget assumed.
Larger Classes, Fewer Electives Await Students This Year
Fewer electives. The district dropped courses with fewer than 35 students enrolled. Class sizes will rise an estimated two students on average, though some rooms will grow more, according to projections district leaders presented at a board workshop in February. Principals at schools including Bartram Trail, Creekside, Patriot Oaks, Liberty Pines and Freedom Crossing were left to decide individually how to absorb the $30,000 discretionary cut at their campuses.
"The books are balanced," Superintendent Brennan Asplen said before school opened, according to St. Johns Community Website reporting on Aug. 9, while acknowledging that cutting 130 teaching positions affects class sizes.
The district also closed St. Johns Technical High School, offered early-retirement incentives and shelved a planned K-8 academy and two elementary schools. Only one new high school will be built over the next three years. Two previously funded K-8 academies did open Aug. 10: Magnolia Oaks Academy in SilverLeaf, expecting about 1,300 students, and Sabal Crest Academy in Nocatee.
Driver Shortage Causes Double Routes, Delayed Pickups
Families also navigated a 70-driver shortage across the district's 325-bus fleet, St. Johns Community Website reported. About 40 routes ran double loads across roughly 3,600 stops. In an Aug. 3 televised interview, Asplen warned families to plan on delays and said pickup times may shift as the district adjusts routes for efficiency.
District Holds Contingency Plan if Enrollment Stays Soft
If fall enrollment counts again underperform, a contingency plan drafted in February remains on the table: six-period school days at secondary campuses, districtwide rezoning and further school closures. The district's next regular board meeting date has not been publicly confirmed.
