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Strong Public Schools & Early Education

External CoordinationEducation1 barrier · 0 statutes

Audit Verdict · External Coordination

Crossing guards, Safe Routes, and afterschool partnerships are workable, but school staffing and Pre-K delivery require OCPS and state action.

Delivery depends on another board, county agency, state office, or public authority.

The Promise

Expand afterschool and summer programming, support Community Partnership Schools, help fund nurses and counselors, modernize crossing guards, and widen early-learning access.

Authority Scope

Crossing guards, Safe Routes infrastructure, partnership funding

Orange County Public Schools is an independent constitutional entity, and core staffing, curriculum, and Pre-K delivery remain outside city authority.

Analysis

The mayor can add city-side infrastructure, grants, and partnerships around schools. The signature institutional changes in this plank still depend on a separate elected system.

Legislative Record

She has long advocated for school funding, but the city does not control OCPS staffing or classroom operations.

Implementation Barriers

A portion of the inventory depends on agencies where the mayor has limited board representation, informal influence, or no direct management authority.

  • SunRail is owned and operated by FDOT; weekend service requires state funding
  • LYNX is a regional board where the mayor holds one of five seats
  • Orange County Public Schools and UCF are independent entities outside mayoral control
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Within-Authority Path · What Orlando could actually deliver

Treat schools as a partnership lane: fund crossing guards and Safe Routes work directly, then use MOUs and grants for anything happening inside school operations.