Bounty hunting for children? How OCPS’ new recruitment deal works

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools raised some eyebrows Tuesday night when they agreed to contract with a company to recruit students and families back into the public system.

The company, Caissa K-12, specializes in outreach on behalf of public school districts and works with districts across the nation.

The deal was made in the shadow of the ongoing “school choice” push, which critics call a thinly veiled attempt to privatize education, that kicked into gear several years ago when the state opened access to $8,000 vouchers to families without income limits.

Orange County is projected to lose 3,100 students and $28 million dollars next year.

OCPS’ deal with Caissa will send $935 to the company for every student it successfully recruits. The district will keep the remaining $7,065 and all of the money in subsequent years the student remains in the district.

Caissa’s recruitment methods are aggressive, ranging from text messages and phone calls using lists of students who left the district to door knocks and “block walkers.”

The company also advertises and holds events to inform families of the advantages of one of the nation’s largest school districts, which include advanced courses and the district’s magnet programs that range from criminal justice to entertainment management.

The contract is modeled after the agreement Caissa has with Kein, TX. District executives in the wealthy community northwest of Houston told WFTV the company has successfully lured back 380 students in two school years.

If OCPS gets that many, the district will add $2.7 million to its budget.

Caissa is not new to Florida. Duval County school district leaders talked about partnering with the company in 2021.

The idea of recruiting students is also far from new. Pro-private and charter school groups regularly send families text messages advertising the $8,000 vouchers and application deadlines.

For district administrators, the Caissa partnership is simply an effort to fight back.

“There’s so much choice within OCPS that I’m hoping that parents realize that, and come back,” board member Angie Gallo said.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.