BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard Public Schools is facing a $20 million budget shortfall due to the past year's enrollment decline caused by the pandemic.

One mom we told Spectrum News 13 her kids’ e-learning experience has been a success, but she still wants to consider sending them back to class.

"Our oldest is asthmatic and has other underlying conditions," said Sheri-Lynn Diskin, who tells us that's the main reason her family opted for e-learning for 14-year-old Jamison when the pandemic got worse last year.

Jamison and brother Andrew have both stayed home to study over the past several months.

"E-learning has been an ideal situation. It kept us connected with our home school," Diskin said. "It really made us feel connected to the campus community."

Brevard school system leaders say some 14,000 fewer students attended class on the first day of school in 2020. The district's overall budget relies heavily on state funds collected through property taxes that are centered around projected enrollment figures.

"You're full-time equivalents, so your students that attend your schools, you get paid based on tha. If they're not in our schools, then we're not going to end up getting paid," said Matt Susin, Brevard School Board District Four.

So far, Brevard Public Schools has received $15 million from the CARES Act. But at this point, the district doesn't have state guidelines to form their latest budget.

"It's like throwing a dart in the dark," Susin said. "You're going to end up somewhere, and what will end up happening is, as those students start to return back to normalcy, we will get a hard number better than we had before."

Making up for the shortfall won't affect teachers' jobs Susin said.

Brevard Federation of Teachers President Anthony Colucci said in a statement: "We are pleased that BPS has been able to conduct in person learning relatively safely this year. To do so will continue to require careful planning and resources. We are looking forward to collaboratively working with district leadership to allocate resources and plan for a safe 2021-22 school year.”

Diskin believes returning to school can be done safely and wisely.

"We have to be incredibly careful, but it doesn't mean it can't be done. It's just we really have to watch our budgeting," Diskin said.

Another cautionary tale for the district – state funding may be allocated only for pandemic-related costs and not available to pay for the enrollment drop.