OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola Middle School ended a free tutoring service halfway through the school year after funds were no longer available for the program.
A spokesperson for the district said two instructional coaches who run the tutoring service were unaware the funding for the program expired this year. The service was previously funded through the CARES Act, which gave schools additional federal dollars to address challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kristen Horne, who has a child in the Okeechobee School District, said she was surprised to hear about its cancellation since her child was using the program. She said the most frustrating part is the lack of resources to help student success.
"Basically there’s no resources for my daughter," Horne said. "I feel like she’s trying to get straight A’s and get a scholarship and everything there’s supposed to do, but there’s no help for her.”
Horne also said she didn't believe funding was an issue since a letter was sent to parents with tutoring dates from August to May for the 2024-2025 school year.
Dr. Joseph Stanley, who is the Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, said Osceola Middle School's principal was "not aware" the letter was sent to parents in an email.
"The District has been clear with schools that these funds would only be available to support tutoring through September 2024," Stanley wrote. "It would appear that this was a miscommunication to parents. The principal will be sending a clarification to parents later this week."
Horne said the district's rationale for ending the program after conducting some tutoring dates is "bizarre" and "strange" in a Zoom call with WPTV's Ethan Stein.
The district said it was working on establishing a different tutoring service, which would be free for students. It didn't give a timeline for establishing the program.
