Seven Broward schools will likely be on the chopping block next school year, as the district faces a dire budget year that officials say is only getting worse.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the School Board on Tuesday that the district is facing a $94.7 million shortfall, about $33 million more than earlier this year, as district enrollment continues to plummet.
He said the district is implementing a hiring freeze and eliminating most travel, as well as curbing overtime. Hepburn also said he expects to cut 1,000 positions before next school year. The district has lost about 20,000 students in the past five years.
“These steps are difficult but they are necessary to ensure we remain financially responsible and continue delivering high-quality education to our students,” Hepburn told the School Board at the start of Monday’s workshop. “This budget reality makes something very clear: It is now more critical than ever that we right-size our district and remain in control of our future.”
In addition to budget challenges, the district also is trying to reduce its footprint and find new uses for schools to try to stave off “Schools of Hope,” which are special charter schools that are allowed under a new state law to operate rent-free on district campuses.
Board members plan to make final decisions in January. Superintendent Howard Hepburn plans to issue his formal recommendations on Friday, which he said after the meeting will largely mirror the proposals supported Monday by the School Board:
— Close Sunshine Elementary in Miramar and move students to nearby Fairway Elementary.
— Close Panther Run Elementary in Pembroke Pines and move those students to Chapel Trail Elementary.
— Close Palm Cove Elementary in Pembroke Pines and move those students to Pines Lakes Elementary.
— Close Plantation Middle and move those students to Plantation High, which would become a 6-12 school.
— Close North Fork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale. Most board members supported a proposal to send all those students to Walker Elementary or to split them between four schools.
— Close Bair Middle in Sunrise, with students attending Westpine Middle.
— Close Seagull Alternative High School in Fort Lauderdale and move those students to Whiddon Rogers Education Center.
Two schools that had been proposed for closure appeared to get at least a temporary reprieve after Monday’s meeting.
Most board members are supporting a proposal for Glades Middle, championed by Rebecca Thompson, who represents the Miramar school, to convert it into a K-8. Hepburn told reporters after the meeting that the K-8 school may take a couple of years to implement, and the district may close at least one more elementary school in the next couple of years if the district moves forward with this plan.
It’s unclear whether the district would move forward with a proposal to add a new branch of Sheridan Technical College, which had been suggested for the Glades Middle campus.
The School Board plans to allow Walter C. Young Middle in Pembroke Pines to operate for another couple of years. The school is owned by the city of Pembroke Pines, and a lease says the property reverts back to the city in 2037. Thompson proposed delaying closure for two years in order to implement a transition plan. She has proposed converting Charles Flanagan High, also in Pembroke Pines, into a 6-12 school.
The school closure plan is more aggressive than one supported by a district-appointed boundary committee, which only supported closing four schools: Sunshine, Palm Cove, North Fork and Plantation Middle. The committee wasn’t asked to consider Seagull since the proposal didn’t require any boundary changes.
The proposals were all discussed in a series of community meetings, where attendees were largely opposed to closing schools in their own neighborhoods.
“I know the decision that we face ultimately in January will be challenging, and for many families, it will be heartbreaking,” Thompson said. “However, I do believe that there’s an opportunity for us to come out on the other side stronger than ever.”
Broward County School Board member Allen Zeman speaks during a workshop at school district’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. He said the School Board should have already closed dozens of schools, based on enrollment declines, but has only closed one in recent years. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Most board members did not favor a proposal from Board member Allen Zeman to consider at least five more schools to close, including Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs. Forest Glen was on an initial list of possible closures, but the School Board removed the school from its list in early October, after Board member Lori Alhadeff, who represents the school, said it is far less underenrolled than many other middle schools in the county.
Zeman said the School Board should have already closed dozens of schools, based on enrollment declines, but has only closed one in recent years, Broward Estates in Lauderhill, which was converted into an early learning center this year.
“We cannot continue to spend money on buildings that we could spend on the students we have or the students we want to win back,” Zeman told the board.
But several board members said putting Forest Glen back into consideration would erode trust in the district.
“I think it is completely disingenuous to the entire community,” Alhadeff said. “We’ve gone through these community meetings. I get that we need to save money, and there’s a process to do that. But you lose public trust when you just make these decisions off the top of your head.”