The Broward County School Board again discussed the fate of some schools eyed for closure and reconfigurations, including a handful of new options, ahead of the superintendent’s final recommendation expected next month.
Tuesday’s workshop meeting drew a large crowd of parents, students and local officials from various elementary schools on the list of possible closures, including Dolphin Bay, Lloyd Estates and Sherman Park, who oppose closing their school.
But with 61,000 empty seats districtwide and growing next year, board members made it clear that taking no action is not in the best interest of the district’s and students’ wellbeing.
“ I would say no one's happy” about school closures, said board member Debbie Hixon, “but our students do win in the end and I think that's important. That's really why we're here today.”
The loss in seats translates to more than $430 million less in the district’s budget.
When one school closes and the student population is consolidated into a nearby one, the dollars follow with the students to the new school. Under-enrolled schools, which the Board is focused on possibly closing, do not have the same academic and enrichment opportunities. The merging of schools, the Board reasons, is a win for all because more students in a single building means more money for that school and its students.
“ We can no longer afford to operate the same number of facilities while serving fewer and fewer students each year,” said Broward Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn. “This is not about whether a school is a good school or a great school, it's about enrollment, resources and making sure we are using taxpayers' dollars responsibly while continuing to provide every student with a high-quality education.”
READ MORE: New report shows 12,300 enrollment decline for Broward schools, larger than first-day count
The average annual savings for each of the six schools the Board voted to close last year are $1.2 million, $10 million collectively. Projected savings from the 10 schools up for closure this year are still unknown, as the schools to be shuttered have not been finalized.
This is the third year of the 'Redefining Our Schools' process in Broward County Public Schools.
Board member Allen Zeman, who has long advocated for a more aggressive approach to closures, said he “would like to take a much more courageous path.”
With projections for next school year predicting 70,000 empty seats, he would like to close 26 schools (this number specifically came from a previous workshop in which members discussed a list of schools that could close while maintaining current feeder patterns).
“It is not a big number that you could close,” Zeman said of the 26. “When you have 70,000 empty seats, you can close north of 40 to 50 schools — well north of 40 to 50 schools — and everyone would still fit.”
Zeman paired this with another surprising suggestion: pause the closures. Other board members agreed.
“ We need a year off. We've been going at this pace,” Zeman said, and “... you just don't have enough time to pull all this thing together.”
Board member Rebecca Thompson has said communities also need time to heal and recover from the pain of a school closure.
The district hosted a series of town hall meetings in September in which parents and other school members could learn more about the suggested course of actions and present alternative options. For example, the Board is considering Banyan Elementary and moving students to nearby Discovery Elementary and Village Elementary in Sunrise, but locals asked to keep Banyan open and add an early learning center instead to help fill the campus.
A common thread among the feedback was the need to preserve staff, resources and programs for students with special needs, categorized as Exceptional Student Education (ESE).
Carolina Diaz, who is a mother with two ESE students, told the board parents like her value the "structure, supervision, consistency and protection" for their kids with special needs. She said combining elementary and middle school students in one campus disrupts those needs.
Diaz did not say which school her children currently attend, but one proposal is to close Dolphin Bay and Silver Lakes elementary schools and move students to Glades Middle under a K-8 model.
The full list of proposals before the school board can be found here.
Superintendent Hepburn is expected to make his financial recommendation to the board on Nov. 5. The Board is expected to vote on Dec. 15.
