TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Schools anticipated 228,000 students to show up to class this fall. The problem though is 13,000 of them did not-- opting instead to go to charter schools, home school or something else.
Now, the superintendent says the district is facing a $56 million shortfall for those students who didn't attend class, along with an already tight budget.
Superintendent Addison Davis told Tampa City Council members Thursday the district is spending $4 to $6 million a month on personal protective equipment.
While the district is getting some federal money, it won't cover all of the expenses. There were additional curriculum and WiFi needs as well.
The superintendent says when he took his position earlier this year, the district only had 28,000 laptops for more than 200,000 kids so the district purchased more to address the digital divide. They've given out 40,000 laptops this year.
“With 13,000 students that we're currently down right now, that's equivalent to $56 million. Not only are we having to deal with $32 million deficits, $4 to $6 million expenditures related to COVID, that we could potentially have to give back the state of Florida $56 million," Davis said. "So we got to get to a point where we are back in line with our expenditures, and we’re looking at every dollar and every cent to be a reliable organization."
The superintendent also told city council members the Florida Standards Assessments or FSA testing will help give a baseline on where kids are with core concepts. That will drive instruction and identify immediately what kids need to learn now after months away from the classroom.
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