APOPKA, Fla. — On Monday, the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools, Maria Vazquez, heard from the Apopka community as part of a listening tour she is conducting around the county. 

  What You Need To Know

  • Superintendent Vazquez has been doing listening tours ever since she started the job

  • As the district sees continuous change, she wants to be transparent to make sure the district is getting everything right the first time

  • At the community meeting on Monday, the superintendent spoke about funding, attendance alerts,  and transportation

The people at the event took the time to listen to Vazquez because they want to see consistent change. 

“We continue to get great feedback, parents and community members are coming out, our employees are coming out, we are thankful they want to be engaged,” Vazquez said.

Last year, Vazquez completed 44 listening tours in 100 days.  

She says she was in Apopka because of the area’s continuous growth. 

“We are going to have to add schools. That might be elementary, middle, or maybe even high school over the course of the next 10 years. We’re delighted to see the growth out here,” the superintendent said.

Vazquez says the district is going to have a work session in about a month where officials will present a 10-year plan districtwide. 

Parents and residents should be able to see plans for new facilities in only a matter of time. 

With transportation, as the area grows, Vazquez wants school bus routes to be the best they can be. 

“We’re looking for strategies that will help us be more efficient in our routes and also be able to recruit and retain more drivers,” Vazquez said.

In terms of attendance alerts, families will now get a call before noon and then another call in the evening if their child was absent for more than half of the school day. 

It is a move Vazquez says is a necessary step forward following the death of Madeline Soto.

“It came about due to the terrible tragedy of one of our students in Hunter’s Creek. Parents have been asking, we want to know earlier on if our children are not at school. We were able to adjust our system so the callouts are going out earlier,” Vazquez said.

All necessary steps, she says, to keep moving forward.

“We want to finish strong. We encourage our parents to continue to be engaged,” superintendent Vazquez said.

Vazquez says she has a total of three listening tours the week of April 8. Anyone is welcome to attend.