FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – While Miami-Dade and Broward public schools are pumping up the energy for the upcoming school year, officials are also worried about mounting financial problems caused by troubling enrollment numbers.<\/p>\n
Officials from both districts have been hard at work to show why South Florida\u2019s public schools are the best place for parents to send their children for education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the programs you need, we have them,\u201d said Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn, in a promotional video for the district.<\/p>\n
But while they promise bigger and better things, both school systems have been plagued by significant challenges, including constantly shrinking enrollment numbers and downsized budgets, which has forced some schools to shut their doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to take drastic measures just to make sure that our fund balance remains in a good state,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n
Officials say the problem is primarily from a lack of new students coming into the districts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not students leaving us, but students not coming in,\u201d said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade County Public School officials don\u2019t believe they\u2019ve been losing to private or charter school alternatives, opting instead to blame a multitude of compounding issues, like declining birth rates, a significant decrease in newcomers and families leaving due to the high cost of living across the county.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re talking about young families not coming here, and those who are here can\u2019t afford to stay here,\u201d said M-DCPS board member Steve Gallon III.<\/p>\n
Both districts lost thousands of students \u2014 roughly 4% of their total enrollment \u2014 last year.<\/p>\n
Due to the steep decline, Miami-Dade and Broward public schools have lost millions of dollars in funding, forcing leaders to make unpopular cost-cutting decisions like closing schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to take action, we have to take responsible action,\u201d said Hepburn.<\/p>\n