Superintendent Michael Burke told the legislative delegation the district experienced an unexpected enrollment shortfall this school year and outlined several contributing factors, including family moves, voucher use and declines in students qualifying for federal food programs.

Burke said the district had initially forecast a modest decline but found it was down roughly 6,000 students after early counts and the October FTE survey. He said at least 1,300 of those departures were traceable to Family Empowerment Scholarships (vouchers), with the remainder driven by a mix of migration out of the county, cost‑of‑living moves and a sharp drop in English‑language‑learner counts. "This year, we actually dropped 1,600 [ELL students]," Burke said. "We feel like, families have maybe self‑deported or left Palm Beach County."

Meal programs and eligibility: The district has used the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to provide universal free breakfast and lunch at many schools in recent years. Burke warned that decreasing SNAP participation and other eligibility shifts may make some schools ineligible for CEP next year; he said three charter schools already did not qualify and would likely have to move to family applications for free or reduced meals. Deputy Superintendent Jamie Wyatt added the district updates homeless and eligibility dashboards nightly and has outreach planned to increase SNAP and WIC applications through February to preserve CEP eligibility where possible.

Homeless students and supports: Board and district staff described ongoing work under the McKinney‑Vento requirements. The district reported it tracks a fluctuating homeless population and estimates between 5,000 and 6,000 students experience homelessness over the course of a year; the district’s nightly dashboard count was 2,674 at the time of the briefing. The district has a homeless liaison, co‑located mental‑health providers at roughly 30 schools, and a staff member who helps coordinate placements and community referrals.

Voucher program and funding instability: Lawmakers and district staff discussed problems with duplicate student accounting between public‑school records and voucher recipients that can produce state funding shortfalls. Burke said state efforts to reconcile duplicate records improved the tally but that the district remains concerned about double funding and cash‑flow impacts; he cited a $3 million shortfall in a June wire transfer the prior year that district staff attributed to unanticipated state funding reconciliations.

What the district will do: Burke said schools are conducting outreach, including door‑to‑door reengagement efforts and scheduled meetings with Hispanic pastors, to identify students still living in the county but not attending school. The district will also work with local food banks and community partners to assist families with food resources and SNAP enrollment support.

Sources: Superintendent Michael Burke; Deputy Superintendent Jamie Wyatt; Board members and meeting transcript.