The Orange County School Board takes up the superintendent search at a Thursday, November 5, 2026, work session, Election Day is a regular school day, and Wednesday dismissal comes early. Here is what Orange County families need for the week.
Orange County Public Schools has a full five day week from Monday, November 2, 2026, through Friday, November 6, 2026. Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, is a regular school day, and Wednesday, November 4, 2026, is an early release day. The official 2026 to 2027 OCPS school calendar, checked October 29, 2026, lists no student holiday until Thanksgiving break, Monday, November 23, 2026, through Friday, November 27, 2026.
Is the Orange County School Board meeting this week?
Yes, for a work session, not a vote. The board meets Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. Eastern in the Board Room of the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 West Amelia Street, Orlando, according to the district's revised meeting notice dated October 30, 2026. Three items are listed: the Richard Milburn Academy charter school application, the OCPS 2030 First Quarter Update, and a "Superintendent Search Overview with FSBA," the Florida School Boards Association. That last item concerns the search for a successor to Superintendent Maria Vazquez, who said in an OCPS statement on July 27, 2026, that she will retire at the end of the 2026 to 2027 school year.
You can watch but not speak. The notice says the public "does not have the ability to provide public comment at work sessions." The district's School Board page links work session broadcasts on the OCPS board meetings YouTube channel.
The next chance to speak is the regular meeting Tuesday, November 10, 2026, on the board's meeting schedule. Under Policy BEDH, open public comment starts about an hour before a regular meeting, each speaker gets up to three minutes, and emailed comments to publiccomment@ocps.net are due by 5 p.m. the day before. The November 10, 2026, notice was not on the district's meeting notices page as of October 30, 2026.
Did the clocks change this weekend?
Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. Sunday, November 1, 2026. The National Institute of Standards and Technology says the change happens on the first Sunday of November, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. again. Set the clocks on anything that does not update itself before Monday's alarms.
Is OCPS open on Election Day, November 3, 2026?
Yes. Tuesday, November 3, 2026, does not appear on the 2026 to 2027 OCPS school calendar as a holiday or teacher workday, so students attend a normal day.
Sunday, November 1, 2026, is the last day of early voting in Orange County, with sites open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections.
Florida polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Election Day under section 100.011, Florida Statutes. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. may still vote.
The Orange County School Board District 3 runoff between Diana Moore and Susanne Peña is on Tuesday's ballot, according to the Supervisor of Elections candidate system. School board races in Florida are nonpartisan. To see whether the District 3 contest is on your ballot, enter your address in the What's on My Ballot tool, which builds a sample ballot from your address, precinct and districts.
What do you need to bring to vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2026?
Bring a valid photo ID with a signature. The Supervisor of Elections Election Day Voting page, checked October 30, 2026, says in person voters must show a current photo and signature ID, and a photo ID without a signature means you will be asked for a second ID that has one. A Florida driver license, a Florida ID card, a United States passport and a United States uniformed services ID are on the accepted list. A voter without acceptable ID can still cast a provisional ballot.
On Election Day you must vote at your assigned polling place, not any early voting site. Three Orange County precincts have new locations for this election, according to the Supervisor's Find Your Polling Place page. Precinct 109 moved permanently from Lake Whitney Elementary School to Windermere Seventh Day Adventist Church at 4100 McKinnon Road, Windermere. Precincts 726 and 729 have temporary moves to Church in the Son and Church on the Drive.
If you still have a mail ballot at home, it must reach the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on November 3, 2026, to count under section 101.67, Florida Statutes. The Supervisor's office answers voter questions at 407 836 2070.
What time is early release on Wednesday, November 4, 2026?
Every Wednesday is an early release day at OCPS unless the district says otherwise, and buses run one hour earlier, according to the OCPS Student Ridership Information page checked October 29, 2026.
The district's 2026 to 2027 bell times PDF lists standard Wednesday dismissal at 2 p.m. for most elementary schools, 2:54 p.m. for most middle schools and 1:10 p.m. for most high schools.
Some campuses differ. Dillard Street Elementary lists 1:45 p.m., middle grades at schools that serve kindergarten through eighth grade list 2:04 p.m., and the Colonial and Winter Park ninth grade centers list earlier times. That file is labeled a draft dated May 5, 2026, so confirm your own school's time on its website or with the front office if your pickup plan is tight.
Bus questions go to the OCPS Transportation call center at 407 317 3800.
Is OCPS closed for Veterans Day, November 11, 2026?
No. Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2026, is not listed as a holiday on the 2026 to 2027 OCPS school calendar. It falls on a Wednesday, so expect the normal early release schedule that day.
What free family events are on this weekend?
The City of Orlando's 27th annual Veterans Day Parade runs Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It begins and ends at Lake Nona Town Center, 6955 Lake Nona Boulevard, with a ceremony after the parade near Boxi Park. The event is free, and the city says street parking is available throughout Lake Nona. Veterans Way, Benjamin Adam Drive and part of Lake Nona Boulevard close from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to the city's road closure notice. The city's main number is 407 246 2121.
Downtown, the 55th annual Fall Fiesta in the Park runs around Lake Eola Saturday, November 7, 2026, and Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city lists it as free.
What's next on the OCPS calendar?
The second marking period, which began Tuesday, October 13, 2026, ends Friday, December 18, 2026, per the district calendar.
Thanksgiving break runs Monday, November 23, 2026, through Friday, November 27, 2026. If storms close schools, the calendar's severe weather make up list names Monday, November 23, 2026, and Tuesday, November 24, 2026, as the third and fourth make up days. Presidents' Day, February 15, 2027, and April 23, 2027, come first.
How long do you have to apply for a magnet?
OCPS magnet and Scholastic Academy applications for 2027 to 2028 close Friday, December 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., according to the OCPS APPLY TODAY page checked October 29, 2026. Families apply online at schoolchoicemagnet.ocps.net, and our Dates and Deadlines page tracks the window.
OCPS does not provide transportation for magnet programs, the application site says, except for a student whose magnet is at the zoned school.