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Volusia County School District

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uuid02idaq3

Namestring
Volusia County School District
Legal namestring
The School District of Volusia County
Company typeenum
Public
Founded yearstring
-
Descriptiontext

Volusia County School District (operating as Volusia County Schools, "VCS") is a Florida political subdivision and the state's 14th-largest public K-12 school district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 16 municipalities including Daytona Beach, DeLand, Deltona, Ormond Beach, and Port Orange. The district operates a network of elementary, middle, and high schools alongside alternative education centers (Highbanks Learning Center, Riverview Learning Center), Volusia Online Learning for virtual instruction, magnet programs, and seven affiliated charter schools. It employs more than 8,200 staff, making it one of Volusia County's largest employers, with all teachers state-certified and roughly 40% of instructional staff holding advanced degrees. Core programming includes Advanced Programs (AP, Cambridge AICE, IB, Dual Enrollment), Career and Technical Education academies with industry certifications, STEM initiatives (FIRST Robotics, Robot Brawl, Secondary STEM Bus), Exceptional Student Education, and ESOL services.

The district runs a defined technology stack anchored by the Focus Student Information System for enrollment, attendance, grading, and state reporting; the Focus ERP for human resources and payroll over its 8,200+ employee base; and VPortal, a ClassLink-powered single sign-on for students, parents, and staff. Other operational systems include Parent Square for family communication, MySchoolBucks integrated with School Way Café for meal payments, and Where's the Bus for transportation tracking. The One-to-One device program, the VCS Technology Plan 2024-2027, and an AI Guide for Teachers & Students round out the technology surface. Strategic external partnerships — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University / RoboNation for autonomous-boat workforce development, Kelly Education for substitute staffing, and Daytona Tortugas for community engagement — extend capability beyond the core K-12 charter.

VCS is funded through a recurring mix of Florida state education appropriations, local property taxes at a 5.285-mill combined rate, federal categorical grants (Title I, Title II), and developer impact fees for capital expansion. The FY2024-2025 total budget is $1.536B, with $719.1M in the General Fund (72.5% of which is directed to instruction and instructional support), $600.0M for Capital Projects, $150.8M in Special Revenue, $48.2M for Debt Service, and $18.1M in Internal Service. There is no tuition; the district serves all county-resident students. Recent operational milestones include consecutive Florida "A" district grades — the first such back-to-back achievement in district history — and a 95.6% Class of 2025 graduation rate, up 1.9 points year-over-year and the third consecutive annual increase.

Short descriptiontext

Volusia County School District is Florida's 14th-largest public K-12 district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 16 municipalities with 8,200+ employees and a $1.536 billion budget, funded primarily by state appropriations, local property taxes, and federal grants.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
5,001–10,000
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersDeland, United States
HQ citystring
Deland
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Offices2 records

Each record includes

City, Country, Type, Description, Source

Keyword5 values
public K-12 education, school district services, student information systems, career technical education, special education programs
Industry2 codes
1Public School Districts (K–12)
CodeEDADABAAPrimaryYes
2Public Special Education Schools & Programs
CodeEDAJAAAHPrimaryNo
NAICS code1 code
  • Elementary and Secondary Schools61111
SIC code1 code
  • Services-Educational Services8200
Product category
Public K-12 Education
GTM motion1 record

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model4 records
1State Funding (General Fund)
TypeSubscription Recurring
Description

Primary operating budget funded by Florida state education funding, covering instruction and instructional support which represents 72.5 percent of total General Operating Fund appropriations

vcsedu.org
2Capital Projects Funding
TypeSubscription Recurring
Description

Capital improvement and construction projects funding

vcsedu.org
3Special Revenue
TypeSubscription Recurring
Description

Federal grants and categorical programs including Title I, Title II, and other restricted funding

vcsedu.org
4Impact Fees
TypeSubscription Recurring
Description

Developer impact fees for new construction and expansion

vcsedu.org
Marketing channels6 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels5 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components6 values
Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Pricing details1 tier
1School Lunch Program
ModelUnit PricingBilling cadencePay-as-you-go
Notes

Meal prices set through School Way Café department with special diet accommodations available

vcsedu.org
GTM typeB2C
B2C
Offering typeServices
Services
Core offering1 text field

Volusia County School District operates Florida's fourteenth-largest public K-12 school system, delivering free public education to approximately 60,000 students across elementary, middle, and high schools in 16 municipalities. The district offers advanced academic pathways (AP, Cambridge AICE, IB, Dual Enrollment), Career and Technical Education programs, STEM initiatives, Exceptional Student Education, virtual schooling through Volusia Online Learning, and student support services including transportation and nutrition.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Quantifiable outcome1 of 5 values shown
  • Graduation rate increased to 95.6% for Class of 2025, up from 93.7%
+4 more records
Product overview1 text field

Volusia County Schools is Florida's fourteenth-largest school district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 73 elementary, middle, and high schools. The district operates a multi-platform technology ecosystem built around the Focus Student Information System (SIS) for academic and administrative records and the Focus ERP for human resources and payroll. Students, parents, and staff access district resources through VPortal (powered by ClassLink single sign-on). Core educational offerings include Career and Technical Education programs with industry certifications, Advanced Programs (AP/AICE/IB/Dual Enrollment), STEM initiatives including FIRST Robotics, Exceptional Student Education services, and Volusia Online Learning for virtual instruction. The district also operates School Way Café (nutrition services), VCS Print Shop, and Kelly Education (substitute staffing services). Instruction and instructional support represent 72.5 percent of the General Operating Fund budget.

Product and service1 record
1Volusia Online Learning
Description

Full-time and part-time K-12 virtual education program providing online courses for students seeking virtual schooling within the district.

Scale indicator9 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership4 partners
Strategic tierCoreTypeStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnounced on2026-01-16
Description

Partnership through the EasyUSV program where Embry-Riddle received a $600,000 Office of Naval Research grant. Volusia County, Florida schools are partnering with Embry-Riddle to develop openly available step-by-step training guides and a software development kit for designing low-cost autonomous boats across education levels from high school through graduate school. The three-year project aims to build a future workforce capable of supporting the U.S. Navy's plans to deploy fleets of autonomous boats.

Strategic tierCoreTypeStrategic or Co-development Partner
Description

Nonprofit organization hosting the EasyUSV program curriculum and content. RoboNation will host the openly available training guides and SDK developed through the Office of Naval Research funded project.

Strategic tierCoreTypeChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor
Description

Kelly Education provides substitute teacher and paraprofessional staffing services for Volusia County Schools across all locations throughout the district.

Strategic tierMinorTypeStrategic or Co-development Partner
Description

Strategic partnership through Community Information Services for community engagement and educational initiatives.

Recent move6 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight5 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
TypeDirect peer
Description

Large Florida public K-12 school district of comparable scale, serving a similarly diverse urban/suburban student population with magnet, CTE, and advanced academic programs. Operates under the same state funding framework, making it a directly comparable peer for benchmarking academic outcomes and budget structure.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Northeast Florida public school district with comparable enrollment scale. Operates similar magnet, CTE, and exceptional student education programs under the same Florida funding and accountability regime.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Adjacent Central Florida public K-12 district. Comparable in size and program offerings; competes for some of the same Volusia-region families and operates under identical Florida accountability standards.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Florida public K-12 district of broadly comparable size, with similar magnet, CTE, and advanced programs operating under the same state framework. A relevant regional peer for program and budget benchmarking.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Florida public K-12 district of similar scale operating under the same state framework. Comparable program offerings (CTE, magnet, advanced academics) and similar workforce composition (8,000+ employees), making it a directly comparable operational peer.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Florida's second-largest public school district. Comparable in size, governance (elected school board), and program mix including magnet schools, CTE, and exceptional student education. A natural scale peer for Volusia.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Florida east-coast public K-12 district of comparable scale. Same state funding model, overlapping magnet and CTE programs, and similar demographic mix — making it a directly comparable peer for academic and budgetary benchmarking.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Large Florida public K-12 district serving a coastal/tourism-influenced economy similar to Volusia's. Comparable in scale, governance, and program offerings; subject to identical state-level academic accountability and funding formulas.

9Hillsborough County Public Schools
TypeDirect peer
Description

Large Florida public K-12 district serving the Tampa metro area. Comparable scale and governance model with overlapping academic programs, magnet offerings, and similar state-level accountability (district grades from the Florida Department of Education).

TypeDirect peer
Description

Large Florida public K-12 district with similar scale, magnet and choice programs, and CTE academies. Directly comparable on funding mechanism (state + millage) and academic accountability metrics.

Market position
Strengths4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat6 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Named customers3 records

Each record includes

Name, Industry, Type, Use case, Source, UUID

Segment6 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile2 records

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
No
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

Integration4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Description, Source

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Feature5 records

Each record includes

Title, Differentiator, Description, Source

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles8 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
Compliance3 records

Each record includes

Name, Class, Description

Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Volusia County School District

Public K-12 Educationvcsedu.org

Volusia County School District is Florida's 14th-largest public K-12 district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 16 municipalities with 8,200+ employees and a $1.536 billion budget, funded primarily by state appropriations, local property taxes, and federal grants.

What Volusia County School District does

Volusia County School District (operating as Volusia County Schools, "VCS") is a Florida political subdivision and the state's 14th-largest public K-12 school district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 16 municipalities including Daytona Beach, DeLand, Deltona, Ormond Beach, and Port Orange. The district operates a network of elementary, middle, and high schools alongside alternative education centers (Highbanks Learning Center, Riverview Learning Center), Volusia Online Learning for virtual instruction, magnet programs, and seven affiliated charter schools. It employs more than 8,200 staff, making it one of Volusia County's largest employers, with all teachers state-certified and roughly 40% of instructional staff holding advanced degrees. Core programming includes Advanced Programs (AP, Cambridge AICE, IB, Dual Enrollment), Career and Technical Education academies with industry certifications, STEM initiatives (FIRST Robotics, Robot Brawl, Secondary STEM Bus), Exceptional Student Education, and ESOL services.

The district runs a defined technology stack anchored by the Focus Student Information System for enrollment, attendance, grading, and state reporting; the Focus ERP for human resources and payroll over its 8,200+ employee base; and VPortal, a ClassLink-powered single sign-on for students, parents, and staff. Other operational systems include Parent Square for family communication, MySchoolBucks integrated with School Way Café for meal payments, and Where's the Bus for transportation tracking. The One-to-One device program, the VCS Technology Plan 2024-2027, and an AI Guide for Teachers & Students round out the technology surface. Strategic external partnerships — Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University / RoboNation for autonomous-boat workforce development, Kelly Education for substitute staffing, and Daytona Tortugas for community engagement — extend capability beyond the core K-12 charter.

VCS is funded through a recurring mix of Florida state education appropriations, local property taxes at a 5.285-mill combined rate, federal categorical grants (Title I, Title II), and developer impact fees for capital expansion. The FY2024-2025 total budget is $1.536B, with $719.1M in the General Fund (72.5% of which is directed to instruction and instructional support), $600.0M for Capital Projects, $150.8M in Special Revenue, $48.2M for Debt Service, and $18.1M in Internal Service. There is no tuition; the district serves all county-resident students. Recent operational milestones include consecutive Florida "A" district grades — the first such back-to-back achievement in district history — and a 95.6% Class of 2025 graduation rate, up 1.9 points year-over-year and the third consecutive annual increase.

Volusia County School District firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Volusia County School District
Legal name
The School District of Volusia County
Website
https://vcsedu.org
Company type
Public
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
5,001–10,000 employees
Short description
Volusia County School District is Florida's 14th-largest public K-12 district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 16 municipalities with 8,200+ employees and a $1.536 billion budget, funded primarily by state appropriations, local property taxes, and federal grants.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Volusia County School District industry classification

Industry
Product category
Public K-12 Education
NAICS
Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)
SIC
Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry
Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)
akta.pro secondary industry
Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

Keywords

  • Public K-12 education
  • School district services
  • Student information systems
  • Career technical education
  • Special education programs

Where Volusia County School District is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Deland
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Volusia County School District business model

Business model
GTM type
B2C
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

  1. State Funding (General Fund): Primary operating budget funded by Florida state education funding, covering instruction and instructional support which represents 72.5 percent of total General Operating Fund appropriations
  2. Capital Projects Funding: Capital improvement and construction projects funding
  3. Special Revenue: Federal grants and categorical programs including Title I, Title II, and other restricted funding
  4. Impact Fees: Developer impact fees for new construction and expansion

Pricing tiers

ModelBillingPrice
Unit PricingPay-as-you-goSchool Lunch Program

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Volusia County School District product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Volusia County School District operates Florida's fourteenth-largest public K-12 school system, delivering free public education to approximately 60,000 students across elementary, middle, and high schools in 16 municipalities. The district offers advanced academic pathways (AP, Cambridge AICE, IB, Dual Enrollment), Career and Technical Education programs, STEM initiatives, Exceptional Student Education, virtual schooling through Volusia Online Learning, and student support services including transportation and nutrition.

Product overview

Volusia County Schools is Florida's fourteenth-largest school district, serving approximately 60,000 students across 73 elementary, middle, and high schools. The district operates a multi-platform technology ecosystem built around the Focus Student Information System (SIS) for academic and administrative records and the Focus ERP for human resources and payroll. Students, parents, and staff access district resources through VPortal (powered by ClassLink single sign-on). Core educational offerings include Career and Technical Education programs with industry certifications, Advanced Programs (AP/AICE/IB/Dual Enrollment), STEM initiatives including FIRST Robotics, Exceptional Student Education services, and Volusia Online Learning for virtual instruction. The district also operates School Way Café (nutrition services), VCS Print Shop, and Kelly Education (substitute staffing services). Instruction and instructional support represent 72.5 percent of the General Operating Fund budget.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Volusia Online Learning Full-time and part-time K-12 virtual education program providing online courses for students seeking virtual schooling within the district.

Quantifiable outcome

  • Graduation rate increased to 95.6% for Class of 2025, up from 93.7%
  • +4 more outcomes

Companies that use Volusia County School District

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Volusia County School District technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Volusia County School District partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026Partnership through the EasyUSV program where Embry-Riddle received a $600,000 Office of Naval Research grant. Volusia County, Florida schools are partnering with Embry-Riddle to develop openly available step-by-step training guides and a software development kit for designing low-cost autonomous boats across education levels from high school through graduate school. The three-year project aims to build a future workforce capable of supporting the U.S. Navy's plans to deploy fleets of autonomous boats.
  • RoboNationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization hosting the EasyUSV program curriculum and content. RoboNation will host the openly available training guides and SDK developed through the Office of Naval Research funded project.
  • Kelly EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKelly Education provides substitute teacher and paraprofessional staffing services for Volusia County Schools across all locations throughout the district.
  • Daytona TortugasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership through Community Information Services for community engagement and educational initiatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Volusia County School District competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

  • Orange County Public Schools (FL): Large Florida public K-12 school district of comparable scale, serving a similarly diverse urban/suburban student population with magnet, CTE, and advanced academic programs. Operates under the same state funding framework, making it a directly comparable peer for benchmarking academic outcomes and budget structure.
  • Duval County Public Schools: Northeast Florida public school district with comparable enrollment scale. Operates similar magnet, CTE, and exceptional student education programs under the same Florida funding and accountability regime.
  • Seminole County Public Schools: Adjacent Central Florida public K-12 district. Comparable in size and program offerings; competes for some of the same Volusia-region families and operates under identical Florida accountability standards.
  • Polk County Public Schools: Florida public K-12 district of broadly comparable size, with similar magnet, CTE, and advanced programs operating under the same state framework. A relevant regional peer for program and budget benchmarking.
  • Pinellas County Schools: Florida public K-12 district of similar scale operating under the same state framework. Comparable program offerings (CTE, magnet, advanced academics) and similar workforce composition (8,000+ employees), making it a directly comparable operational peer.
  • Broward County Public Schools: Florida's second-largest public school district. Comparable in size, governance (elected school board), and program mix including magnet schools, CTE, and exceptional student education. A natural scale peer for Volusia.
  • Brevard Public Schools: Florida east-coast public K-12 district of comparable scale. Same state funding model, overlapping magnet and CTE programs, and similar demographic mix — making it a directly comparable peer for academic and budgetary benchmarking.
  • Lee County School District: Large Florida public K-12 district serving a coastal/tourism-influenced economy similar to Volusia's. Comparable in scale, governance, and program offerings; subject to identical state-level academic accountability and funding formulas.
  • Hillsborough County Public Schools: Large Florida public K-12 district serving the Tampa metro area. Comparable scale and governance model with overlapping academic programs, magnet offerings, and similar state-level accountability (district grades from the Florida Department of Education).
  • Palm Beach County School District: Large Florida public K-12 district with similar scale, magnet and choice programs, and CTE academies. Directly comparable on funding mechanism (state + millage) and academic accountability metrics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Volusia County School District social profiles

Digital presence

Volusia County School District compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance3 records

Volusia County School District financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Volusia County School District leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Volusia County School District funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Volusia County School District M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volusia County School District

What does Volusia County School District do?

Volusia County School District operates Florida's fourteenth-largest public K-12 school system, delivering free public education to approximately 60,000 students across elementary, middle, and high schools in 16 municipalities. The district offers advanced academic pathways (AP, Cambridge AICE, IB, Dual Enrollment), Career and Technical Education programs, STEM initiatives, Exceptional Student Education, virtual schooling through Volusia Online Learning, and student support services including transportation and nutrition.

Is Volusia County School District a public or private company?

Volusia County School District is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Volusia County School District founded?

Volusia County School District was founded in -1. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is Volusia County School District based?

Volusia County School District is headquartered in Deland, United States, in the North America region.

How does Volusia County School District make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. State Funding (General Fund) is the primary driver. The others are capital Projects Funding, special Revenue and impact Fees.

Who are Volusia County School District's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Orange County Public Schools (FL), Duval County Public Schools, Seminole County Public Schools, Polk County Public Schools, Pinellas County Schools, Broward County Public Schools, Brevard Public Schools, Lee County School District, Hillsborough County Public Schools and Palm Beach County School District.

Does Volusia County School District have an API?

No public API is recorded for Volusia County School District.

What industry is Volusia County School District in?

Volusia County School District's product category is Public K-12 Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADABAA, Public School Districts (K–12), with a secondary code of EDAJAAAH, Public Special Education Schools & Programs. Its NAICS code is 61111 and its SIC code is 8200.

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Live signals
YahooHow did Volusia School Board evaluate superintendent? | ExclusiveVolusia School Board members evaluated Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, with four of five rating her proficient across 26 indicators. Board Chair Ruben Colón gave her a perfect score, while Donna Brosemer gave 18 needs-improvement marks. The evaluation preceded the Sept. 8 meeting, and Balgobin cited the district's second consecutive A-rating.Daytona Beach News-Journal OnlineVolusia schools responds to Pathways assault lawsuit | ExclusiveVolusia County Schools is arguing it should not be named in a lawsuit filed by parents of a kindergarten boy who was sexually assaulted in a Pathways Elementary bathroom during an after-school program. The attorney is seeking to dismiss the amended complaint, placing blame on the after-school program.Daytona Beach News-Journal OnlineVolusia School Board will investigate one of its ownVolusia County Schools board member Donna Brosemer will be investigated by an employment attorney after a district employee's complaint, according to two board members. All five board members voted Sept. 8 to hire Brown Law & Consulting at $300 per hour.Daytona Beach News-Journal OnlineWho is on the Volusia County School Board in 2026?The Volusia County School Board in 2026 includes Ruben Colón, Jamie Haynes, Jessie Thompson, Donna Brosemer, and Krista Goodrich, with Brenda Beery potentially joining in November. Grace Kellermeier defeated Thompson in the Aug. 18 election for District 3, and Haynes seeks reelection in November.Daytona Beach News-Journal OnlineSchool starts Aug. 10: What's new in Volusia, Flagler counties?Volusia County Schools is implementing several key changes as the school year starts on August 10, including earlier activation of school zone flashing lights and the installation of metal detectors in all middle schools. Additionally, the district has introduced a requirement for e-bike permits and added choking safety devices in all schools. Flagler County Schools will also begin operations on the same day, celebrating their first A-grade from the Florida Department of Education.Daytona Beach News-Journal OnlineDid 'politics' influence Volusia Schools' budget, tax rate?The Volusia County School Board in Florida approved a tentative tax rate and nearly $1.1 billion budget for 2026-27 after a contentious 90-minute debate, with administrators warning that rejecting the proposals could result in losing $196 million in state funding and potential job eliminations. The tax rate passed 4-1 and the budget passed 3-2, with the final vote scheduled for September 8. Board member Donna Brosemer argued the tax increase was hypocritical given the board's earlier rejection of a teacher salary referendum, while three board seats are up for election on August 18.Yahoo3 depart, 2 swap jobs in Volusia schools cabinet changesFive high-level Volusia County Schools administrators have left or changed jobs in recent weeks, including CFO Todd Seis retiring and a chief of staff and COO swapping roles. Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said the moves are independent personnel decisions, not reflecting dissatisfaction. A new CFO will be appointed at the Feb. 10 board meeting.GlobeNewswireXtract One Chosen by Volusia County Schools to Advance School SafetyVolusia County Schools in Florida selected Xtract One Gateway systems to enhance school security screening, with 48 units deployed. Phase one begins at high schools in 2025, with phase two in 2026. The system scans individuals without removing bags, aiming to reduce secondary screenings.YahooWhat happens to ESE students when they leave Volusia schools? Families advocate for inclusionParents of ESE students in Volusia County schools advocate for better post-graduation support, citing limited resources and lack of district assistance. The district's new ESE director aims to improve transition planning, while families like those of Isaac Morden and Lance Avery have created their own opportunities. The district plans to continue ESE Family Nights and collaborate with other counties.YahooAward-winning author, plaintiff in Volusia lawsuit talks Florida book banning, censorshipLaurie Halse Anderson, author of "Speak" and plaintiff in a lawsuit, filed a case against Florida school boards over HB 1069's book removal process. The lawsuit challenges the removal of 53 books in Volusia County for 2023-24. Defendants must respond by Nov. 15.