About 175,000 students from Orange County Public Schools returned to classrooms Monday for their first day of school, after a nearly two-month long summer recess.
School began at more than 178 regular-attendance schools in the District, prompting warnings from police and Sheriff’s deputies to be aware of children and schools zones.
Orlando’s Mayor Buddy Dyer was on hand to assist in School Crossing Guard duties for Blanker Elementary School on South Mills Avenue. The School Crossing Guard Program is an integral element in the Safe Routes To School Program, which is dedicated to providing safe bicycle an pedestrian routes to and from school for elementary and middle school aged children.
Dyer too, warned motorists to slow down in school zones and watch out for students, reminding that children will be riding buses and walking or biking to school.
While millions of dollars have been slashed from education budgets all across Florida, Orange County students could expect academic programs and extra-curricular activities, such as the arts and athletics to remain in tact. That’s because, unlike neighboring counties like Seminole and Lake, voters in Orange County approved a special millage last November that will maintain and continue existing programs for the next four years.
“The bottom line is, the 2011-2012 OCPS budget is being maintained virtually at last year’s level and the status quo of school programs will be basically unharmed, despite the significant reduction in state dollars,” a spokesperson from OCPS said. “The per student expenditure will not decrease much.”
The OCPS capital program is also not expected to change dramatically.
