ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Every morning, Dana Wallace walks into Orange Center Elementary School with her kids on her mind. She works there. They learn there. And like many parents in this West Orlando neighborhood, she’s been hoping for more.
On Tuesday night, that hope got a major boost.
The Orange County School Board unanimously approved a first-of-its-kind partnership between Lift Orlando and Orange County Public Schools to transform OCES into a public-private charter school.
Mark Shamley, Vice President of Community Impact for Lift Orlando, said this is about building something that lasts.
“How can we create something that’s at the foundation ... that is deep and durable?”
Shamley added, “This is one of the terms I use, a ‘deep and durable’ partnership that will outlast all of the folks who are sitting around the table now, and that these kids, 10, 12, 20 years from now, would have access to high quality education.”
Starting this fall, Orange Center will operate under a new nonprofit called Neighborhood Schools Initiative. The school stays tuition-free and public. Students will still take state tests and follow Florida standards. But there will be more flexibility and more support.
Lift Orlando plans to invest more than $2 million in the school. That money will go toward teacher training, literacy programs, after-school care, and wraparound services for families. Teachers will also have a real voice in shaping curriculum.
The school will eventually grow to serve kids through 8th grade but neighborhood students stay first in line for enrollment. The order will be as follows: First, kids already zoned for Orange Center, then siblings, then children of school staff, and finally the wider neighborhood.
While interest is already high, the school is not accepting applications yet. Families zoned for Orange Center have priority. For others, a lottery process will come later.
For Wallace, this partnership isn’t just policy. It’s a promise of stability and opportunity for her kids and their classmates. The transformation begins this fall, with teachers already working on the new curriculum and Lift Orlando coordinating support services.
With this deep and durable partnership, the hope is that OCES will become a model for what’s possible when a school district and a community organization join forces to give every child, regardless of zip code, a real shot at success.
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