Orange superintendent Maria Vazquez to retire after 2026-27 school year
Orlando Sentinel | By: Steven Walker | July 27, 2026
Superintendent Maria Vazquez, who has led Orange County Public Schools since 2022, will retire after the 2026-27 school year, the district announced Monday afternoon.
Vazquez has worked in public education for about 35 years, serving as an OCPS teacher, principal and district administrator before she was tapped for the top role.
Under her leadership, OCPS raised its state grade from a B to an A, based on student performance on state tests, and she helped navigate the district through the first years of declining enrollment in decades.
The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she was OCPS’s first Hispanic superintendent, running a district where about 44% of the district’s almost 200,000 students are Hispanic.
Details on a timeline for selecting a new superintendent for the nation’s eighth-largest school district will be announced later, OCPS said in its statement.
“Serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Throughout my career, I have believed that education is ultimately about people, relationships, and creating opportunities for students to thrive. I am deeply grateful for the privilege of working alongside extraordinary employees, supportive families, dedicated community partners, and inspiring students,” Vazquez said in a statement.
While the announcement of her departure comes before the start of a new school year, she said she remains focused on the work ahead.
“This school year is filled with opportunities to strengthen student achievement, support our employees, deepen our partnerships with families, and continue building a district that prepares every student for a bright future,” she said.
OCPS likely faces more declining enrollment as it lost 5,600 students this past school year and expects to lose about another 3,000 students thus upcoming school year. The district also faces an impasse with its teachers union over rising insurance costs, which could cause most teachers to make less money next year.
Teresa Jacobs, the board chair who is also retiring, said Vazquez had been “phenomenal” as the district’s leader.
Vazquez has OCPS on “the right path” for the next leader to hit the ground running, as the superintendent helped put “the right people in the right seats,” Jacobs said.
“I’m so excited for her to be able to take to take this time and to spend it and pour it into her family because she’s poured so much into Orange County Public Schools, and especially over these last four years,” she said.
Clinton McCracken, the president of the district’s teachers union, said in a statement that Vazquez’s retirement presented “an opportunity to chart a new course for the future” with a new superintendent.
“We need someone who is accountable, collaborative, and committed to addressing our biggest challenges, including declining enrollment, employee recruitment and retention, and restoring trust in decisions that affect the people working in our schools every day. Teachers will be looking for a superintendent who respects them as professionals, not someone who continues a culture of massive micromanagement, driving educators away,” McCracken said.
