St Johns County Schools in Major Financial Trouble 

February 6, 2026 /

By: Charles Emilio

St. Johns county is facing a large problem regarding next year’s financials with the county facing a ten-to-fifteen-million-dollar deficit for the 2026 to 2027 school year. This is on top of the over three-million-dollar debt the school district is in. Dr. Brennan Asplen, who is in his first year as superintendent, says continued growth in the county, a shift in state funding, and not being able to keep up with inflation are some of the factors driving the district further into the negative. Asplen also reports that over one thousand student vouchers we issued and that has totaled over ten million dollars. These vouchers are used by parents, so they pay for students’ private education and homeschooling. This outraged many positions in schooling including the superintendent; the districts only got twenty-eight million dollars from the state and had to give thirty-five percent to families who are leaving the public school system. Another reason why the district is facing so much financial trouble is the massive influx of students and growth that this county has had over the last few years with St. John’s county population nearly doubling since 2018. This influx has made the need to open new schools across the county, which has raised the utility cost the district faces.   

The district has also had a large problem with school lunch debt from students that then fall back on the district.  Last year the student collective lunch debt was around forty thousand. This year it is climbing to around two hundred and thirty thousand. This unexpected spike in debt has had the district desperate for a way to get the cost under control. The solution is looking grim with cutting resources and position at every level of the education system. The fallout will result in less programs for teachers and extracurriculars. This will certainly impact class size and available electives.  

Sources: 

Farrar, Aaron. “St. Johns County School District Bracing for Possible $10M-$15M Deficit Heading into 2026-2027 School Year.” WJXT, WJXT News4JAX, 5 Feb. 2026, www.news4jax.com/news/local/2026/02/05/st-johns-county-school-district-bracing-for-possible-10m-15m-deficit-heading-into-2026-2027-school-year/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.