Enrollment at Orange County Public Schools has fallen more than expected this year, and the school district is scrambling to deal with the fallout.

The district sent a message to parents and families this week to announce a temporary hiring freeze for available positions.

Last month, News 6 reported that enrollment had fallen by more than 7,600 students from the previous year. The district says that is a larger drop than anticipated. The greatest decline was among elementary schools.

[WATCH: Orange County Public Schools’ enrollment drops by more than 7,600 students]

“Several factors are contributing to this trend, including declining birth rates, housing trends and affordability challenges, federal changes in the law affecting immigrant families and the expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers,” the letter states.

The district normally recalculates its resources in the fall to align with actual student enrollment, especially since Florida’s funding formula relied on student enrollment.

The district will also look to move some staff around to fill any necessary available positions.

“Our priority is to retain as many valued employees as possible while ensuring students continue to receive a high-quality educational experience. If any staffing changes affect a student’s classroom, principals will communicate directly with impacted families,” the letter states.

The district is also facing about $8.5 million in budget cuts. Leaders finalized a new $7.9 billion budget this week.

[WATCH: Orange County schools finalizes $7.9B budget as district plans additional $8.5M in cuts]

OCPS is one of the largest school districts in the country, with some 191,000 students in attendance. The district also employs some 24,000 people, including 13,000 teachers.