Orange County Public Schools to Consider $1.5 Million Sale of Former Pine Castle Elementary Property

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools could sell the former Pine Castle Elementary School campus for $1.5 million, generating new capital funds as the district confronts a multimillion-dollar budget gap. However, the proceeds cannot be used for everyday costs such as teacher pay.

The Orange County School Board is expected to vote this afternoon on the proposed sale of the 6-acre property on Waltham Avenue, adjacent to Cornerstone Charter Academy.

The campus has remained vacant since Pine Castle Elementary closed several years ago. Board member Stephanie Vanos said the district had explored other options for the site, but those plans changed following a series of school consolidations.

“They made the decision not to after consolidations to instead sort of relocate that project, so it was moved to a different building,” Vanos said.

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Cornerstone Charter Academy is now positioned to purchase the property after submitting the highest bid, Vanos said.

“They were the highest bidder, if you will, and they are paying more than a million,” Vanos said. “I think that’s $1.5 million.”

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The potential sale comes while OCPS manages significant financial pressure. District officials have reported a loss of roughly $23 million this fiscal year, driven largely by declining enrollment after seven schools were consolidated.

Even so, the district said the sale proceeds would be deposited into its capital fund. The money could support construction, infrastructure, campus upgrades and technology, but it could not cover operating expenses.

“Unfortunately, the law requires that when funds come in from a sale of property or a sale of a building or something like that, that money goes into a capital budget,” Vanos said. “The capital budget, by law, cannot be used for things like teacher salaries or support staff benefits, salaries, anything like that.”

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According to board documents, Cornerstone Charter Academy intends to use the property for recreational purposes, including sports fields. A proposed agreement would also allow OCPS to access the site when necessary, even after the sale is completed.

The School Board is expected to vote on the proposed sale during its meeting this afternoon.