ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County School District is bracing for the potential of a big budget gap next school year.
The district thinks it could be in a deficit between $10 and $15 million for the 2026-2027 school year.
The superintendent said the district is currenty $3.5 million in debt, and with expected spending, he believes that number could balloon going into next school year.
Dr. Brennan Asplen, who is in his first year as superintendent, says continued growth in the county, a shift in state funding, and not being able to keep up with inflation are some of the factors driving the district further into the negative.
Asplen says the district got $28 million for this school year from the state, which was the most it’s ever gotten. That number comes from the cost for each student to attend school, which is more than $9,100 -- $185 more than last year.
But he said more than $10 million of that money had to go toward Family Empowerment Scholarships, which are vouchers parents can use to send their kids to charter schools or for homeschooling.
Asplen said more than 1,000 vouchers were issued this year, funneling the money per student out of the district’s budget.
Other expenses include student transportation, utilities, cleaning, security, medical insurance, and state-funded teacher salary increases.
Asplen said that $1.7 million went to pay raises for the 3,500 teachers in the district.
In addition, the district had to give raises to other employees in the district from its own budget, which was not funded by the state.
Those salary increases were for positions like custodians, bus drivers and maintenance workers.
As of Jan. 9, the St. Johns County School District also reported outstanding student meal debt of more than $228,500, which is up from more than $188,700 during the 2024-2025 school year.
To try to deal with the overall budget deficit, the district said it had to make cuts and is expected to continue making moves, including freezing non-critical vacant district positions and reducing district department out-of-county travel.
Asplen said the school district also cut three positions, which were the deputy superintendent of operations, the senior director of accountability and intervention services, and the senior director for professional development for professional learning.
The superintendent said these cuts have cleared about $4.5 million from the deficit, but he’s still concerned about what’s to come.
Asplen said he wants the state to consider public and private schools either having to follow the same rules or even decrease the voucher amounts to ensure public schools remain sustainable. He wants a more level playing field.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m.
To watch Asplen’s full school budget transparency presentation, click here.