St. Johns County School District parting ways with 60 teachers amid budget and funding challenges

Skip to content Home News » Schools St. Johns County School District parting ways with 60 teachers amid budget and funding challenges By Selim Algar on April 23, 2026 on 8:59 am Updated on: 04/23/2026 Share this post : Facebook Twitter LinkedIn St. Johns County School District Chief of Staff Paul Abbatinozzi. About 60 teachers will lose their positions in St. Johns County Schools as the district works through a budget shortfall tied to enrollment shifts, school choice programs, and rising costs, Chief of Staff Paul Abbatinozzi told The Citizen. Abbatinozzi said the cuts are part of the district’s annual budget process, which includes reviewing enrollment projections and school-by-school needs. He said the figure reflects budget-driven non-reappointments across the district’s 50 schools. Superintendent Brennan Asplen previously revealed a $23 million deficit. St. Johns County schools Superintendent Brennan Asplen. (SJCSD) Abbatinozzi emphasized that staffing changes are closely tied to funding formulas that depend on student enrollment. In particular, he pointed to the impact of school choice programs, including vouchers which he said have altered how state funding flows to traditional public schools. “The generation of the funds that we’re receiving is less,” he said. “And then you couple in inflation and things of that nature. We’re certainly seeing some ramifications from that.” He said the district continues to experience some enrollment growth, but not at the same pace as in previous years, while the funding tied to that enrollment has not kept pace. Despite the financial pressures, Abbatinozzi stressed that St. Johns County Schools remain one of the highest-performing districts in the state and said officials are committed to maintaining those standards. “You won’t find a better county in the state of Florida for teaching and learning and academic prowess than this county,” he said. The district is one of only two in Florida to earn an “A” grade every year since the state began assigning district grades in 2004. St. Johns County school data. (Source: St. Johns County School District) “We have no intention of taking our foot off the gas with providing the highest quality education in the safest and most secure environment that we can do,” Abbatinozzi said. Abbatinozzi highlighted the district’s academic and extracurricular offerings, arguing that St. Johns County remains highly competitive statewide not only in academics but across athletics and enrichment programs. He said the district is also structured to prioritize school-level funding, noting that most resources go directly to campuses rather than central administration. “We’re typically in the top five school districts in the state with putting money into the schools,” he said. “We’re about a 3% district office cost, 97% of our funding we put into our schools.” The St. Johns County School District faces a $23 million budget gap. (Google) While the teacher reductions are part of the district-wide budget cuts, Abbatinozzi said additional impacts are being felt outside the classroom as well. He noted that reductions to support staff are also taking place, though at a lower level than instructional positions. Earlier in the budget process, the district made $1.8 million in cuts at the central office level, including the elimination or consolidation of about 19 positions. “We understand we’ve got to make some decisions here,” he said. “But we’re going to work our way through this and provide that high-quality education and a safe, secure learning environment.” He added that employees losing their jobs may have opportunities elsewhere in the district through internal transfers as staffing needs are finalized ahead of the next school year. Share this post : Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Newsletter Sign up for breaking updates, exclusive stories, and community events. Leave this field empty if you're human: Search Search Newsletter Sign up for breaking updates, exclusive stories and community events. Subscribe