Last year, Cooper City High\u2019s graduation was held at NSU, but this year, it\u2019s scheduled for May 30 at Dillard High.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students are very upset about this. My daughter doesn\u2019t even want to walk the stage anymore. This is what we were looking forward to,\u201d Conti told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n
Some students and parents have also posted on social media or sent emails to School Board members voicing their displeasure.<\/p>\n
\u201cGraduation is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone that represents years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Holding our ceremony in another high school\u2019s gymnasium significantly diminishes the importance and significance of this moment for students and families,\u201d Carly Farah, a graduating senior at Monarch High in Coconut Creek, wrote to board members. \u201cWhile I understand that the school budget may be lower this year, that should not justify taking away a meaningful tradition that past Monarch seniors were able to experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
District officials argue the three district gyms provide top-notch facilities and are well-equipped to provide a momentous experience for graduating classes. Guests will be guaranteed four tickets per graduating senior, the same guarantee as non-district venues, and there will be plenty of parking, Valerie Wanza, the school district\u2019s chief strategy and innovation officer, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n
Guests at the district sites will sit in individual stadium-style seats and graduates will be positioned on the floor, similar to the NSU venue, district officials said. The basketball goals will be raised to the ceiling, and there will be large screen monitors to spotlight speakers and graduates walking on the stage, they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of venue, we\u2019re not going to deprive them of the pageantry that this occasion holds,\u201d Wanza said.<\/p>\n
The locations were chosen based on the size of the graduating class. Schools with 555 or fewer students were assigned to high school venues, while most with more than 555 went to NSU. But some in Cooper City questioned the cutoff. Cooper City High had 555 seniors as of a September enrollment count and will be at Dillard. Nova High in Davie had 557 seniors in September and will be at NSU. But Cooper City actually posted a slightly higher graduation rate last year, so it\u2019s unclear which graduating class will be larger.<\/p>\n
Because the NSU arena is a much larger venue than Dillard, Nova students will likely be able get at least two more tickets per graduate than Cooper City students.<\/p>\n
![\"Dillard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tfl-l-dillard-high-graduation1.jpg\")
Dillard High School gymnasium on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Broward County Public Schools plan on moving many graduations from outside venues like Nova Southeastern University and Lauderdale Performing Arts center to high school gymnasiums.(Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not fair. They\u2019re not doing it right,\u201d Corti told the Sun Sentinel.<\/p>\n
School Board members overwhelmingly agreed during an Oct. 21 budget workshop to use district facilities for graduations whenever possible as a cost-saving measure. The change was projected to save about $500,000 per year, Wanza told the School Board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have the facilities here to house these, and I think it\u2019s a good idea to utilize those facilities,\u201d Board member Adam Cervera said at the meeting.<\/p>\n
But since the workshop, the district has faced allegations of wasteful spending, including a $510,000-a-year<\/a> office lease that the School Board is trying to get out of, as well as a combined $500,000 in referendum-funded bonuses<\/a> for the highest-paid employees, which the School Board voted this month to end.<\/p>\n