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Who are we?
Friends of Orange County Schools represents a diverse cross-section of citizens who are passionate about our children and schools. Our mission is to achieve and maintain excellence in education by supporting School Board candidates who will demand and promote an effective learning environment for the benefit of all students, teachers and families in Orange County.
What Do We Believe?
- Excellent stewardship of all resources, financial and otherwise, is an essential quality of a high performing District and School Board.
- A well-rounded education, rooted in academic achievement and the ability to think critically, should be the goal of public instruction.
- All children deserve to be equipped, encouraged and challenged to reach their potential.
- Schools must be properly resourced for safety, including student's and teacher's physical, emotional and mental well-being, in order to establish a conducive environment for learning.
- Expectations for student conduct and corresponding rewards/consequences should be clearly defined and communicated to all students, parents and teachers and consistently applied.
- Promoting rigid political and ideological agendas in school is generally distracting and divisive and a detriment to academic achievement outcomes.
- Transparency is essential as parents have a right to know what their children are being taught in school and, at a minimum, have a right to opt in or opt out of specific programs/instruction.
- Curriculum/instruction/resources should be evaluated in an open manner for age-appropriateness.
What problems require action now?
- Current and recent grade proficiency scores for the District are unacceptable. Student achievement outcomes remain below state averages despite OCS being among the best funded districts in the state.
- Five of the 13 schools are designated as low performing.
- Nearly two thirds (65%) of black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students are not proficient at grade level.
- Ten out of the 13 schools have principals with less than 3 years of experience, creating a great need for mentorship/leadership coaching to help them excel.
- The District staff has grown significantly and disproportionately while student enrollment has declined and classrooms have been understaffed for extended periods of time. Valuable resources need to be shifted from the Central Office to classrooms/teachers.
- During the school year ending the summer of 2023, financial mismanagement by the District led to budget shortfalls in excess of $1 million requiring emergency draws from the Fund Balance. Improved fiscal management by the District and a higher degree of transparency in communication between the District and School Board are areas of opportunity.
- Discipline problems have become increasingly prevalent and pose safety issues for students and teachers. Leadership and accountability in this area is critically needed.
- Political and ideological agendas are currently overly emphasized at the expense of academic instruction and achievement.