Broward County Public Schools is preparing for major financial and structural changes as student enrollment continues to fall, prompting district leaders to propose school closures, implement a hiring freeze and halt out-of-county travel.
– Advertisement –
The district has lost thousands of students this school year alone, part of a years-long decline. In 2021, Broward Schools enrolled nearly 208,000 students. This year, that number has dropped to 188,000, and by 2030, enrollment is projected to fall by another 25,000.
Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn unveiled a list of schools recommended for closure or consolidation on Monday under the district’s Redefining Our Schools initiative. The announcement came after a public meeting where parents were able to weigh in on the proposed changes.
The schools under consideration include:
North Fork Elementary School, Fort Lauderdale
Palm Cove Elementary School, Pembroke Pines
Panther Run Elementary School, Pembroke Pines
Sunshine Elementary School, Miramar
Bair Middle School, Sunrise
– Advertisement –
Plantation Middle School, Plantation
Seagull Alternative High School, Fort Lauderdale
Glades Middle School in Miramar and Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines had previously been under review but were ultimately removed from the list.
District officials say the financial strain has reached a critical point.
“We are short this year $94 million, which means between January and June of this year we’ve got to constrict considerably,” said School Board Member Allen Zeman.
Board members confirmed that the district has instituted a hiring freeze and a moratorium on travel.
“If 10 teachers quit today, hopefully they won’t, I pray they won’t, I can’t go out tomorrow as a district to hire new teachers. That’s how bad our financial situation has become here within this district,” said Board Member Adam Cervera.
A letter sent to families on Monday outlined new restrictions, including a freeze on out-of-county travel and limits on overtime.
Zeman said the district’s challenge goes far beyond just the initial list of schools.
“We’re probably right now 50 or so schools too big and today we talked about nine or 10 schools. Over time, I’m sure we’re going to talk about more,” he said.
Some board members have pushed to add additional campuses to the closure list. Hepburn noted that selling or leasing properties could provide significant revenue.
“The taxable value for those buildings combined is $230 million,” he said. “To lease market rate for an elementary school is roughly $2 million annually. For a middle school, roughly $3.7 million annually.”
Hepburn emphasized that Broward is not the only large district grappling with shrinking enrollment.
“We can’t continue to kick that can down the road and hoping and praying, we need to take action,” he said. “And part of that action right now is not (to) hire new people that we ultimately are going have to release at the end of the year.”
The superintendent is expected to finalize his recommendations on Friday. The Broward County School Board will vote on the proposed closures and consolidations in January.