Sarasota County Schools lost 743 students in the first week of the 2026-27 school year, Superintendent Terry Connor told the school board on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The district had forecast a loss of about 398 students over the summer.

The actual decline is nearly double that projection.

The 743-student drop also represents a 112% increase over the 350-student loss officials had predicted for the 2024-25 school year, according to the Sun. The figure comes from the district's five-day student count, when officials tally students in seats after the first week of classes.

New Budget Brings Deep Staffing Cuts

Connor disclosed the number the same day the board adopted a nearly $1.5 billion budget for 2027. That budget carries deep staffing cuts compared with 2025: 220 fewer teacher positions, 79 fewer instructional staff, 74 fewer aides, 63 fewer student support services staff and 28 fewer food service workers.

"Everything is accounted for," Connor said. "We have made the appropriate allocations for the adopted budget."

Elementary Schools Face Heaviest Job Losses

Elementary schools bear the heaviest burden. The district's budget book shows roughly 416 positions eliminated at that level. Lamarque Elementary in south county is set to lose 10 teachers, a guidance counselor, a school secretary and an instructional staff member. Glenallen Elementary faces the loss of eight teachers, four aides, two guidance counselors and two instructional staff.

High Schools See Uneven Reductions Districtwide

At the high school level, Venice High is slated to lose 33 teachers, a school secretary and a guidance counselor, while gaining four aides. North Port High faces the loss of 26 teachers, 12 secretaries, three guidance counselors and three instructional staff. The opening of Wellen Park High, which filled 94 new positions for its first year, may account for some of those reductions at neighboring schools. North county high schools saw far fewer cuts: Sarasota High lost three positions, Riverview High six and Suncoast Polytechnical High zero.

Voucher Program Deepens Financial Strain

The enrollment slide comes amid broader financial pressure. District officials have estimated that Florida's universal school voucher program, passed in 2023 under House Bill 1, reduced district revenue by roughly $45 million this year alone, according to LBK News. The $115 million in federal COVID-19 relief that had propped up staffing has fully expired.

School board member Liz Barker described the voucher program's reach at a March board workshop, as reported by the PV Torch in May. "Any family is now eligible to collect somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 per student to send them to a private school or to homeschool them," Barker said.

Residents Question District's Long-Term Outlook

At the Sept. 15 meeting, resident Carol Lerner asked officials what comes next. "The next four to five years could be much worse, or they could be better," Lerner said.

The district serves roughly 36,600 students in traditional classrooms. Connor had framed the budget situation as a "financial correction, not a crisis" at a March workshop, noting the district educated the same number of students a decade ago with nearly 500 fewer employees, as LBK News reported in August.