The Broward School Board plans to reconsider its decision to enter into a $2.6 million office rental contract, a move that had raised concerns as the school district faces major budget cuts and has plenty of extra space in school buildings.<\/p>\n
A special meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday to vote on whether to rescind the five-year agreement the School Board approved June 17 with Handy, whose name stands for Helping Advance and Nurture the Development of Youth. The district had planned to house about 75 facilities staff members in part of Handy\u2019s Wilton Manors office.<\/p>\n
The vote follows a South Florida Sun Sentinel article on Oct. 23 that questioned why the district<\/a> was spending money for outside space when it has faced a $77 million shortfall over the past year and is\u00a0trying to find new uses for underenrolled schools. The district has also proposed to close at least seven schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several board members told the Sun Sentinel last month they were having second thoughts and would like to revisit the lease. Now, Board member Maura Bulman is asking the board to vote on it on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe District is working to eliminate unnecessary real estate costs by taking steps to ensure that District employees are occupying District-owned facilities to the greatest extent possible and cannot afford to occupy rental space when district facilities are currently available or can be available upon a required buildout or renovation,\u201d Bulman wrote in the agenda item<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kirk Brown, CEO of Handy, couldn\u2019t be reached for comment on Monday, despite attempts by phone and email.<\/p>\n Bulman also cited a new law allowing charter schools known as \u201cSchools of Hope\u201d<\/a> to co-locate on the campuses of traditional schools. Last month, Mater Academy, a Miami-based charter operator, made a request to house 18,000 charter students on 27 district campuses. Other requests are expected<\/a> this month, so the district is trying to reduce the amount of vacant space at\u00a0these schools by leasing them to community groups or using them for office space.<\/p>\n Bulman is using a provision in the lease that allows the district to terminate if funds are not allocated in the yearly budget. While the $510,000 rental expense for the 2025-26 year has been allocated in the district\u2019s capital budget, the request asks the School Board to amend the budget \u201cto deallocate the remaining unused funds\u201d for the agreement.<\/p>\n This would result in savings this year of $297,500, the agenda item states. That equals seven months\u2019 rent and suggests the district has already spent or committed $212,500, the equivalent of five months\u2019 rent.<\/p>\n Although the district signed the lease in June, district staff haven\u2019t actually moved into the building, officials said. The district has spent about $88,000 on technology upgrades to the building, according to a response to a public records request.<\/p>\n A district summary for June 17 said that 117 facilities employees and contractors would be moving into the Handy building, but a district spokeswoman told the Sun Sentinel in October that it would be closer to 75, with the other employees using district-owned facilities.<\/p>\n The employees had planned to move out of the district\u2019s Rock Island Annex Facility, a series of office buildings on Northwest 26th Street in Oakland Park. The Urban League of Broward County bought the facility for $5.36 million in October 2024 and plans to develop affordable housing on the site.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to vacate that building (Rock Island), according to the actual contract that we signed with the entities that purchased it, so that team needs to get out sooner than later,\u201d Hepburn told the Sun Sentinel in August.<\/p>\n However, after closing, the district entered into a lease agreement with the Urban League that allowed employees to stay at the Rock Island property until May 2027.<\/p>\n