When I joined the School Board of Broward County five years ago, it’s safe to say that it was a disaster. So much so that the governor removed four of my colleagues in the aftermath of the release of a grand jury report. Chaos ensued shortly after.
We went through six superintendents in three years, and the subsequent staff turnover was extreme. When any large organization goes through so much instability, it’s inevitable that big challenges will arise from that, and BCPS was no exception. The Broward Schools I walked into lacked accountability, transparency and positive academic outcomes for students. Getting leadership in the institution to acknowledge the problems that plagued our system was impossible. While the Broward Schools of today have much to improve, we’ve come a long way since the days of hiding, spinning and denying.
Sarah Leonardi is chair of the Broward County School Board. (courtesy, Sarah Leonardi)
My colleagues and I were elected to bring transparency, accountability and steady leadership back to one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the country. That work is underway, and it is rooted in a simple belief: Public confidence is earned through openness, collaboration and results.
This board and superintendent have done the hard, painful work previous administrations failed to do. We’ve consolidated schools, called for additional audits, enacted a hiring freeze with the goal of aligning our employee base with enrollment declines, opened investigations and called for additional oversight from the state.
Every meeting, my colleagues and I bring items and motions that save hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. In just one, the district realized $1.25 million in savings on a single construction contract at the direction of the board. That work is not over.
The academic results speak for themselves. Broward Schools has achieved significant progress toward our core mission: educating children. Our students, teachers, school leaders and families earned our school district back-to-back “A” ratings from the state of Florida for the first time in over 10 years. For the first time in our history, there are no “D” or “F” schools, and we are designated by the state as a high-performing school district.
This week, Superintendent Howard Hepburn announced record-high graduation levels. These are accomplishments we are proud of, and we know Gov. Ron DeSantis has consistently emphasized the importance of strong academic outcomes across Florida.
At the same time, we recognize that our size and history bring complexity. As the sixth-largest school district in the nation, Broward faces challenges related to the tumult of the past, enrollment declines, revenue problems and operational oversight that demand thoughtful, solutions-oriented leadership. We can overcome those obstacles through unity, focus and hard work — not through soundbites, campaign stunts and division.
That is why I am grateful to, and proud of, my colleagues who stood with me last Tuesday morning to call for the governor and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to work with us to continue the work we have started in promoting governmental efficiency, streamlining our school district and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. We welcome dialogue, we welcome oversight, and we welcome the opportunity to walk through our schools, our reforms and our priorities with DeSantis and any member of his administration. We are an open book. Constructive partnership, grounded in facts and mutual respect, is how large systems improve.
This is a new era for Broward Schools — one where the School Board understands that trust must be rebuilt through clarity, consistency and follow-through; one where public education is not politicized but strengthened; and one where success is measured not by rhetoric, but by outcomes for students.
Our goal is not merely to defend where Broward stands today, but to elevate where we are going next. With transparency as our foundation and collaboration as our strategy, we believe Broward County Public Schools can continue rising and become a national model for what public education can achieve when leadership works together.
Sarah Leonardi is chair of the Broward School Board.